The redesign will reduce the carbon footprint of Dizzie’s brand and help to cut 114 billion pieces of plastic from supermarket shelves.
Industrial design studio Blond reveals the development of a more sustainable packaging solution for Dizzie (formerly Good Club), an online zero waste shop focused on cutting unnecessary packaging out of the grocery cycle.
Following a rebrand and repositioning to put reuse at the core of the identity, Blond’s design team were challenged by Dizzie to create reusable and refillable fossil-fuel free packaging that is long lasting and 100% recyclable at end of life. The design studio was tasked with creating pots that could be decanted or stored, to later be collected, washed and reused by Dizzie. By using the same reusable pots, customers can buy their essentials without any packaging waste, which helps cut 114 billion pieces of plastic from supermarket shelves.
Looking at the principles of the circular economy, Blond carried out holistic research into the packaging landscape and worked with Dizzie to design a packaging system that would ultimately save warehouse space and reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries.
The material of the packaging is representative of Blond’s ambitions and ethos to think sustainably. Blond designed the packaging using a biocomposite made from wood fibres (a by-product of the forest industry) and bio-PP (made from waste and residue oils). This means that Dizzie pots are made from 98% renewable materials. They are designed to stand up to 200 cycles of reuse, and all parts are 100% recyclable. When they finally reach end of life, they are sent back to the manufacturer to be broken down into the raw material to remake the pots, facilitating a closed-loop system.
Taking inspiration from the stacking format of a bento box, Blond designed Dizzie’s new packaging to stack together vertically. The three sizes of pots are sized in thirds, so that the height of three small pots equals one large pot, allowing the pots to stack together in many combinations and still reach the same overall height. A groove detail in the lids matches the base profile of the pots, ensuring they can be securely nested together. This helps organise the containers in customers’ cupboards as well as allowing secure and efficient transport — a custom transport bag is designed to house a specific number of pots by holding them in place from the top and bottom, and is used for customer delivery and return.
In terms of logistics, Blond designed the pots to enable simple and efficient cleaning when returned to the warehouse, while also being cost-effective to manufacture. The pots can efficiently nest together when empty, which saves space in the warehouse and reduces the carbon footprint of transporting them. The efficiencies in the design and choice of material combined with EU production ensures the Dizzie pots have the smallest possible carbon footprint and shifts the economies on reusable packaging.
James Melia, Founder and Creative Director at Blond says: “It’s great to collaborate with a brand that shares the same objectives. At Blond, we strive to rethink the way we live, consume and interact with everyday products, and where appropriate; with the aim to create a more sustainable alternative. With Dizzie – a simple pot could have a monumental impact; we have calculated that if everyone bought 10% of their weekly shop in reusable packaging, we’d save 19.4bn pieces of plastic a year. As a design agency, that is a fantastic journey to be a part of.”
Ben Patten, Founder of Dizzie says; “Our mission is to save the UK from the 100 billion pieces of plastic waste produced every year through reusable, closed-loop packaging for grocery. Blond really understood the brief we gave and designed a solution that meets not only the needs of the consumer, but the logistics of cleaning and distribution.”