May 3rd, 2017

Dear Disney DVD,

We are three high school freshman from the Academy for Global Studies at Austin High
School in Austin, Texas. In our geometry class, we were assigned The Packaging Project,
centered around assessing and improving product packaging for various companies. During this
project, we were asked to choose a product and evaluate the efficiency of its packaging. It
occurred to us to analyze a DVD case considering that the disc is the same size as a CD, however
the packaging is much thicker and longer. We felt your packaging could be improved due to the
excess material and a large presence of unused air space.

First, we had to run a series of tests in order to calculate the volume and surface area of
the product and its packaging. We used the length, width, and height of the original project to
create a scale drawing as well as a net drawing of the DVD case. We also measured the disc
itself to find its volume. We ultimately concluded that the airspace in your case was 97.06%
unused. While we are aware that this is largely because of how thin the disc is, we knew there
was still room for improvement so we decreased the thickness of the case by half a centimeter. In
addition we took off 5.25 centimeters of length to achieve a more square shape while still leaving
sufficient space to fit the disc inside the case.

By decreasing both the thickness and the length of the case, we reduced the size of the
case by 175.87cm2. Moreover, your company would save 175,870cm2 of plastic per 1,000
DVDs produced. Our design should still provide sufficient space for the existing graphics and
advertisements as long as certain fonts are decreased and unnecessary information/graphics are
moved to the inside cover. We also understand the fact that a smaller case may not have an
outstanding shelf presence thus not being as eye catching to the consumer, but this factor could
be counteracted considering that the new design would attract more environmentally aware
consumers. We recognize and praise the fact that your DVDs are recyclable, but by reducing
case size and maintaining the green qualities of the existing packaging, the case can be both
financially and environmentally conscious. We would appreciate hearing back from you, so if
you wish to reply, please feel free to contact us. Our address is 307 Ridgewood Road, Austin,
TX, 78746.

Sincerely,
Ellen Haggard Riley Cruzcosa Eliana Patt