What makes luxury packaging luxurious?

Environmental issues are more pressing than ever, with a growing movement of individuals and businesses committed to genuine, impactful solutions for the planet.

Of course, it’s common sense for us all to drive the demand for sustainability and minimal environmental impact, particularly from industries where plastic still forms a core part of a product’s functional aesthetic, such as in the beauty industry. But with increasing reports of a disconnect between brands’ messaging of their environmentally focused initiatives and the actual impact they truly have, how can those within the brand-owner ecosystem help clear the way for a more genuine, believable message?

We talked to Ralph Raposas, independent Senior Packaging Designer, who previously worked at Jo Malone London, to ask him about packaging design, how brands can foster a dialogue of transparency, and why the simple effort of communicating how to dispose of products effectively is time well spent.

How did you come to a career in packaging design?

It happened organically, starting with Product Design degree at Central Saint Martins where I got to get under the skin of the true meaning of user-centric design. After graduating, I worked at Sabichi who make quality homewares at a good price-point. They started life in 1994 designing a 3-litre bathroom bin, then grew their collection steadily room-by room. Working there gave me exposure to designing the packaging for everyday products in the domestic space. 

This led me to a job at Joseph Joseph, the home of making every day more efficient with their innovative kitchenware and organisation products. There, my experience as a packaging designer combined with my passion for product design.

How significant was it for you to be selected nine years ago by the Design Council’s special 70^th anniversary ‘Ones To Watch’ campaign, celebrating 70 of the UK’s most exciting up-and-coming innovators?

It gave me exposure to the industry and reaffirmed my desire to do meaningful work within it. My final-year degree project, Petal Pegs, was selected in the everyday living category. The design was intended to encourage organisation and turns a mundane task into something rather satisfying.

Throughout your career, you’ve worked with products such as coffee, biscuits and chocolate, where packaging plays a crucial role in attracting and engaging consumers. In your opinion, what are the key factors that make packaging truly excellent?

It’s got to be about the overall consumer journey. When we’re designing packaging, it’s easy to go deep into the detail, but this has to be seen through a macro lens too and paired with the brand’s appeal to the customers. From digital to physical, the experience must be consistent and memorable throughout.

This is best shown when the experience also reflects the brand’s core values and, importantly for me and most consumers, how do these align with an environmental awareness in a meaningful way? Considering the nation’s joyful obsession with unboxing, there needs to be an element of surprise and delight.  

And extra points go to those that continue the joy in finding the packaging’s second life; communicating this must be succinct and easy-to-find. Indeed, it should be a delight to dispose of too (I can’t underestimate the joy of dissolving and washing away haeckles’ seaweed-based polystyrene replacement) or, even better, ensure they are reusable or a unique keepsake. I recently designed a reusable cloth advent calendar for Selfridges, which was sold as an heirloom product, so meaning was attached to the very fact it could be re-packaged and handed down for others to enjoy over the years. 

Following those themes, what role do you think that packaging plays in enhancing the overall experience, and perceived value, of luxury products?

I think it’s the tactile properties, the ‘sensual’ part of how the material itself reacts with your skin, its texture and personality. It’s interesting how a matt finish has become synonymous with a premium product, as if by stripping it down to its most simple material, it holds the most value. Of course, the graphic treatment has an impact too.

How do you navigate the challenges associated with maintaining the barrier function of packaging, particularly in preserving aromas and other sensory aspects, while transitioning to more sustainable materials?

Packaging technologists have been busy these past 10 years, and the food industry has benefitted greatly from their hard work. Innovative packaging such as Sylvicta has been instrumental in allowing the chocolate industry, for example, to drive forward a genuine message around sustainability that starts with their ingredients but ends with the functionality, sustainability and disposability of their packaging. It’s that tricky kerb-side recycling conundrum that needs to be addressed, so consumers can make informed decisions – it’s a given that their packaging with retain the freshness or contain the smell, but it still feels like you’re playing recycling roulette when you’ve used a product and want to find out how best to dispose of it. Apps such as Scrapp help with this, but work is still needed at the beginning of the chain, as we know brands now don’t have to rely on plastic to guarantee food safety.

Back to Selfridges, can you share any more details on environmentally friendly projects you’ve worked on?

Coffee tins are a huge market within the Selfridges Selection range, and it’s been rewarding seeing my designs on metal tins. They are a fantastic format as they allow consumers to reuse as storage.

And there was the iconic 2023 Beauty Advent Calendar. I had a full creative freedom on what the format could be, and our insights led us to present it within a really special keepsake vanity box.

Is there any new material, solution or project you are a big fan of, something we should keep an eye on?

I really enjoy my annual trip to Clerkenwell Design week in London and a few years ago and I came across a material called Piñatex. Developed by Carmen Hijosa, an ethical entrepreneur with a vision for a more sustainable future that connects people, environment and economy. First presented at the PhD graduate exhibition at the Royal College of Art, London, the fibres that make Piñatex come from pineapple leaves from the Philippines. Now sold via her company Ananas Anam, this is an example of how a waste product is repurposed to substitute a premium material such as leather, thus doing good for the planet. Coming from the Philippines myself, I deeply connected with this project as the issue of waste disposal is still a big problem across the country. In doing this, the brand ‘creates social impact by introducing new jobs in rural areas, while providing a second and diversified income stream to the pineapple farmers.’

Indeed, whether it’s replacing leather with fruit or using a translucent barrier paper such as Sylvicta to help reduce plastic in packaging, it’s thanks to the commitment to research and innovation that ensures the future of materials and packaging drives forward a sustainable agenda.