The Good Packaging

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The Good Packaging: a Systemic and Ethical Approach to Innovation by Design
Presentation · December 2019

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36302.82246/2
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Erik Ciravegna
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
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The Good Packaging:
a Systemic and Ethical
Approach to Innovation
by Design
Erik Ciravegna, PhD | erik.ciravegna@uc.cl
International Simposium “The Future of Packaging Design” | Bologna 06.12.2019
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Innovation” sections of this presentation, and more in general the structure of this presentation, the
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How to cite
Ciravegna, E. (2019). The Good Packaging: a Systemic and Ethical Approach to Innovation by Design. Lecture,
International Symposium “The Future of Packaging Design. Towards a Smart and Sustainable Era”,
organized by the Advanced Design Unit, Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna, the
6th of December 2019, at Opificio Golinelli, Bologna, Italy.
© 2019 Erik Ciravegna, PhD | Diseño UC | International Simposium “The Future of Packaging Design” | Bologna 06.12.2019 Source: https://youtu.be/yR8uJN9FOOA
INDH, Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Chile
© 2019 Erik Ciravegna, PhD | Diseño UC | International Simposium “The Future of Packaging Design” | Bologna 06.12.2019
Along 2019, and especially
during the last two months, we
have witnessed an explosion
of protests around the planet.
Algeria, Bolivia, Brazil, Catalonia,
Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt,
France, Georgia, Guinea, Hong
Kong, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, UK...
The list is extended every week.
Author: unknown
Activists are demanding action
from their governments and
taking to the streets in defense of:
- Political Freedom
- Economic Equality
- Culture and Social Rights
- Climate Justice
Author: unknown
Considering the contemporary
social and environmental crises,
?
does it still make sense to talk
about packaging today?
What kind of innovation makes
sense for a changing world?
?
Author: unknown
Who is the villain?
? Is packaging
(or plastics)
the real problem?
Really?
?
Author: unknown
?
The problem
is entirely human
(yes, it's us!)
Author: unknown
Facing social and environmental
contemporary crises, the real
question is not whether packaging
needs to be eliminated or not
to save the planet, but rather
how much we are willing to change
our lifestyle and consumption
Author: unknown
models before it’s too late.
> a plus of service for the user/consumer
> a plus of performance for the product
!
Packaging makes it possible
to shift the consumption
of a product over time and space
Source: Gros-Pietro, G. M. (Ed.) (1995). Libro bianco sull’imballaggio. Istituto Italiano Imballaggio.
Author: unknown
Author: unknown
Author: unknown
Packaging should not be eliminated,
but rather re-thought and re-designed,
! with better control of its functions of
use and communication, concerning
its responsibilities and impacts
not only within the market but also
society and the environment.
Ethics of Responsibility
Introduced by political scientist Max Weber (1919)
! and later reworked by Hans Jonas (1979) to define
the concept of “Sustainable Development”.
ethics > from ethos (Greek), means “behavior”

responsibility > from respondeo (Latin), same etymology of “to respond”
> “behavior that responds to someone or something”
Source: Weber, M. (1919). Politik als Beruf. Duncker & Humblot.

Jonas, H. (1979). Das Prinzip Verantwortung. Suhrkamp.
!
The Good Packaging
Responsibilities of a “good” packaging
1. Content
packaging ensures the
protection and conservation
! of its content, facilitates the
Author: unknown
manipulation and interaction
of the user, etc .;
it puts on stage the product
and presents it at the point
of sale, valuing its properties
and characteristics, it
strengthens product identity
and visual differentiation, etc.
1. Content
protection and conservation
! of its content, facilitates the
manipulation and interaction
of the user, etc .;
it puts on stage the product
and presents it at the point
of sale, valuing its properties
and characteristics, it
strengthens product identity
and visual differentiation, etc.
1. Content
2. User Company / Brand
packaging strengthens the
! brand identity and
communicates its values;
at the point of sale it ensures
its presence and remembrance
and generates differentiation
from the competition;
at production level, its structure
optimization may facilitate
Author: unknown
packaging process automation.
1. Content
packaging strengthens the
! brand identity and
communicates its values;
at the point of sale it ensures
its presence and remembrance
and generates differentiation
from the competition;
at production level, its structure
optimization may facilitate
Author: unknown
packaging process automation.
1. Content
3. Logistics and Distribution
! optimizing packaging shape and
volume may facilitate logistics
operations, from transport to
storage; at the point of sale,
it also helps to make the
shelf product replenishment
simpler and faster, etc.
1. Content
! optimizing packaging shape and
volume may facilitate logistics
operations, from transport to
storage; at the point of sale,
it also helps to make the
shelf product replenishment
simpler and faster, etc.
1. Content
! 4. End-Users
Author: unknown
packaging eases the interaction
of the user both with the content
and its container, it ensures the
accessibility of the information,
it takes care of the satisfaction
of explicit and implicit needs of
different users (inclusion), etc.
Author: unknown
1. Content
! 4. End-Users
packaging eases the interaction
of the user both with the content
and its container, it ensures the
accessibility of the information,
it takes care of the satisfaction
of explicit and implicit needs of
different users (inclusion), etc.
Author: unknown
1. Content
! 4. End-Users
Author: unknown
5. Territory
packaging supports the local
economy, values the cultural
dimension and the heritage
identity of a product,
communicating the tangible and
intangible attributes that it puts
Author: unknown
in relation to a given territory.
1. Content
! 4.
5.
End-Users
Territory
packaging supports the local
economy, values the cultural
dimension and the heritage
identity of a product,
communicating the tangible and
intangible attributes that it puts
in relation to a given territory.
1. Content
! 4.
5.
End-Users
Territory
6. Environment
reduction of its own impact and
its content in the environment,
through the adoption of the
“3R” and the principles of the
Circular Economy (9R).
1. Content
! 4.
5.
End-Users
Territory
6. Environment
reduction of its own impact and
its content in the environment,
through the adoption of the
“3R” and the principles of the
Circular Economy (9R).
1. Content
! 4. End-Users
Author: unknown
5. Territory
6. Environment
7. Society
packaging may educate and
sensitize, as a mass-medium,
on issues of ethical relevance,
of social or environmental kind.
Author: unknown
1. Content
! 4.
5.
End-Users
Territory
6. Environment
7. Society
packaging may educate and
sensitize, as a mass-medium,
on issues of ethical relevance,
of social or environmental kind.
1. Content

! 3. Logistics and Distribution
4. End-Users
5. Territory
6. Environment
7. Society
1. Content

! 3. Logistics and Distribution
4. End-Users
5. Territory
6. Environment
@thegoodpackaging @erikcira
7. Society
!
Packaging Innovation
Packaging as “technical container”
A package is mainly an object of use, as a result

of an industrial production process, with several
different practical functions of containing, protecting,
conserving, transporting, opening, serving, dosing,
manipulating, etc. its content.
Packaging as “technical container”
A package is mainly an object of use, as a result

of an industrial production process, with several
different practical functions of containing, protecting,
conserving, transporting, opening, serving, dosing,
manipulating, etc. its content.
> technology-driven innovation

> product and production centric
> improving performances and physical interaction
> optimizing processes
Packaging as “marketing tool”
A package is mainly a means of communication

with appellative, seductive and persuasive functions,
which allows to position the product and its brand
in the markets, by strengthening its perceived value
and increasing its “desirability” for the consumers.
Packaging as “marketing tool”
A package is mainly a means of communication

with appellative, seductive and persuasive functions,
which allows to position the product and its brand
in the markets, by strengthening its perceived value
and increasing its “desirability” for the consumers.
> market-driven innovation

> brand and consumer centric
> improving product identity and communication
> enhancing experience
Packaging as “complex and meaning(ful) object”
According to a systemic approach, a package is

both an object of use and a means of communication,
a complex artifact with the attribution of meaning/
sense by/for a subject, not only the end-users, but all
the actors of the so-called packaging-system.
Packaging as “complex and meaning(ful) object”
According to a systemic approach, a package is

both an object of use and a means of communication,
a complex artifact with the attribution of meaning/
sense by/for a subject, not only the end-users, but all
the actors of the so-called packaging-system.
> design-driven innovation

> people and (eco)systems centric
> systemic and ethical approach
> improving the quality of life and wellbeing
Systemic approach
! - packaging functions
as object of use/means of communication
- packaging life-cycle
different phases and states of the object “in action”
- packaging-system
stakeholders of packaging supply-chain
and other actors of the packaging value-network
Role of Design
- design as an interpreter and mediator
! of all the needs expressed within the system
- from project direction (coordination and strategy)
to project synthesis (translation to a formal solution)
- from problem-solving (reactive attitude) to
the envisioning of new opportunities and solutions
for the future (proactive and anticipatory attitude)
- life-centered approach (ethical approach)
!
Meaningful Innovation
Meaningful Brands
- People wouldn’t care if 77% of brands
! disappeared.
- 58% of brand content is not meaningful

to consumers.
- 76% of people expect brands to contribute

to the quality of life and wellbeing.
Source: Havas Media, https://www.meaningful-brands.com/
Meaningful Brands
Source: Havas Media, https://www.meaningful-brands.com/
The road to hell is paved
with good intentions
!
Sustainability / Social Innovation
≠ Green Washing
≠ Social Washing
≠ Pink Washing
≠ Rainbow Washing
Meaningful Innovation
! Don’t innovate for innovation’s sake.

Think innovation in terms of impact.
Understand the need for change,

both externally and internally.
Make impact real, embrace change.
Purpose-Driven Innovation
Purpose-Driven Innovation
Doing Good
is Good for Business
The Good Packaging:
a Systemic and Ethical
Approach to Innovation
by Design
Erik Ciravegna, PhD | erik.ciravegna@uc.cl
International Simposium “The Future of Packaging Design” | Bologna 06.12.2019
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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

The Good Packaging: a Systemic and Ethical Approach to Innovation by Design

Presentation · December 2019

Design Drama Methodology View project

Eterno Cotidiano View project

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

ethics > from ethos (Greek), means “behavior”

Source: Weber, M. (1919). Politik als Beruf. Duncker & Humblot.

2. User Company / Brand

2. User Company / Brand

A package is mainly an object of use, as a result

A package is mainly an object of use, as a result

> technology-driven innovation

A package is mainly a means of communication

A package is mainly a means of communication

> market-driven innovation

According to a systemic approach, a package is

According to a systemic approach, a package is

> design-driven innovation

- 58% of brand content is not meaningful

- 76% of people expect brands to contribute

! Don’t innovate for innovation’s sake.

Understand the need for change,

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