RE_STORE: Eco-Friendly Packaging

As the general public becomes more aware of its limited resources, so too does the packaging industry. Instead of simply cutting back on resource use, many companies are looking for creative and enticing ways to make eco-friendly packaging. One of these ideas is RE_STORE.

RE_STORE is a concept that was designed in 2014 as a student project by three undergraduates at Elisava University, a design institute in Barcelona, Spain. The team of students was comprised of Laura Aquilar, Loreley Videla, and Laura Planas. Of the three, Laura Planas has promoted this project the most, especially via her personal website.

Laura notes that she is an industrial designer who specializes in packaging designs among other forms of creative expression. She stresses that her works epitomize “simplicity, functionality, and design,” and that her projects are “tailor-made to customer demands,” including eco-friendly packaging trends.

Eco-Friendly Packaging: Fabric and Purpose

Eco-Friendly Packaging

The project, RE_STORE, is self-described as “eco-friendly packaging that reduces environmental impact,” and is “an initiative to recover used materials to transform them into new products through design.” Re_STORE recycles sailboat fabric to create a multi-purpose tote bag. The bag has two main functions: to carry everyday items such as fruits and vegetables home from the market, or to secure a bouquet of flowers in a way that will safely transport them to their next destination. By creating a reusable bag, people can limit the need for plastic grocery bags or plastic flower wrapping.

The sailboat fabric is thick and durable, meaning it is unlikely to easily tear, rip, or wear out. Likewise, the grommets and string that can be utilized for the bouquet-carrying function are from sailboat materials as well. Despite its upcycled use, the ropes are still as tough as the rough seas to which they once commanded.

To add a fashionable component to the ecological benefits of RE_STORE, the team of designers printed cute and inspirational sayings onto the totes such as, “You wanna know who I’m in love with? Read the first word again,” and “More books, more sunsets, more music, more flowers.” Other sayings imprinted onto the bags include, “The only additive we use is love,” and “My favorite place is between your arms.” With these chosen quotes, we can see RE_STORE appeals to the outdoorsy, romantic type looking to be more “green.”

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Other features of RE_STORE include the ability to attach a personalized tag to the tote, either as a reminder to oneself or as a gift tag for the bag and its contents. The goal of adding a personalized tag is to encourage the trend of eco-friendly packaging by making not only the bag’s contents a gift, but the bag itself a continually giving, reusable gift as well.

RE_STORE is the type of retailer the world needs more of right now. A mission focused on reducing, reusing, and recycling while combining tasteful packaging and products all amounts to an organization that is perfect for protecting the future of our beautiful planet without sacrificing the beauty of its packaging.