{"id":13955,"date":"2024-12-30T15:57:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T10:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linklauncher.in\/banyannation\/?p=13955"},"modified":"2025-05-09T12:00:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:30:22","slug":"debunking-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linklauncher.in\/banyannation\/blog\/debunking-color\/","title":{"rendered":"Debunking color: How our desire for color impacts packaging sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In a sea of blue toilet cleaner bottles and multi-colored detergent packaging, India\u2019s retail shelves tell a story of color-coded consumerism. But these vibrant hues come at a significant environmental cost \u2013one that threatens to undermine our sustainability goals. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Color Conundrum \n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ask any recycler, and they will tell you that one of the major challenges with selling <\/span>recycled plastics for packaging applications<\/span><\/a> is that brands are unaware of the specifications that recyclers recommend when it comes to color and aesthetics. In India, about 10-15% of personal and home care packaging is white, and the remaining 85-90% is a mix of other colors \u2013 perhaps dominated by blues. Once this pigment is added into plastics there is no way to remove it during the recycling process<\/a>. Recyclers of post-consumer plastics can only offer a limited range of colors \u2013 like white, blue, grey, black, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0As a <\/span>circular economy<\/span><\/a> solutions provider, I work with many brands to help convert their packaging from <\/span>virgin plastics to recycled Plastic<\/span><\/a>. Recycling has a much smaller environmental footprint and helps divert billions of bottles away from landfills and oceans. Through my journey, I learned why brands take their colors so seriously. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Cultural Context and Literacy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cIt’s about how Indians purchase FMCG goods,\u201d explained the brand manager of an iconic FMCG brand. \u201cThe end-user probably tells their household helper to get the <\/span>blue wala toilet cleaner<\/span><\/i> from the neighborhood convenience store. If I change the color of my bottle to White \u2013 that\u2019s it, I am done, I will lose market share overnight in the traditional retail channel.\u201d\u00a0 I have heard similar explanations from hair oil and edible oil brands as well \u2013product category determines brand color in highly commoditized product markets. But have we stopped to question that perhaps literacy levels in the country have changed since we established these category colors? And perhaps, the way we shop has also changed?\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Consumer Psychology <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the mid-range and luxury segments, brands claim that customers are obsessed with white to the point where we disagree over egg-shell white, milky white, snow white, dull white, creamy white, ivory white \u2013 and the other umpteen shades of white. This is driven by the perception that all that is white is pure and good. I have high regard for brands like Lush Cosmetics that wear their sustainability on their bottle \u2013 by using only black 100% recycled plastic<\/a> bottles. I would love to see more brand managers own and embrace sustainable packaging and invest in educating their customers about sustainable packaging. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The way forward<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The transformation is not just possible \u2013 it\u2019s already happening. One of our largest customers, a prominent fabric care brand, boldly reimagined their entire brand aesthetic to embrace PCR packaging. Instead of viewing sustainability as a constraint, they turned it into a competitive advantage. Through targeted consumer education campaigns, they transformed their sustainable packaging from a potential liability into a powerful brand asset. Their success proves that when brands lead with conviction, consumers follow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The future of packaging lies in thoughtful design that balances multiple imperatives. Tomorrow\u2019s winning brands will be those that seamlessly integrate sustainability metrics \u2013 minimal material use, eco-friendly chemicals and inks, PCR content, recyclability, and circularity \u2013 with exceptional customer experience. This isn\u2019t just an operational challenge; it\u2019s a strategic imperative that demands collaboration between brand managers, sustainability teams, and packaging designers. By embracing circularity not as an afterthought but as a core design principle, brands can pioneer packaging solutions that are both environmentally responsible and commercially successful. The time to make this shift isn\u2019t in some distant future \u2013 it\u2019s now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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