The CPG
Packaging Lifecycle

Not to state the obvious, but we are packaging designers and have been for 30 years. We’ve long understood our responsibility to our clients and consumers—clarity, communication, the need to trigger a purchase decision—but our work now goes beyond that.

We must own our role in what happens to the packaging we design after a consumer is done with it. At this moment in time, that lifecycle could not be more important.

Improved Packaging Sustainability Starts with Education

We know from consumer research that “sustainability” is a confusing term that means different things to different people. Where does it start and end? Is it about the material used—or how much material is used? Is it about fair practices, natural resourcing, or organic ingredients? Is re-usability a factor, or is it just about recyclability? There’s also often a big gap between good intentions and actual behavior.

(At Kaleidoscope, we define sustainability as a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.)

We gained more understanding of the recycling part of sustainability during our visit to Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS), located in the historic Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago, where we got a firsthand look at just what it takes to recycle 500 tons of materials per day.

Touring the facility, the size of which is hard to describe, gave us valuable insight into the technology, processes, and people behind recycling in our hometown. There were many “a-has” from the day (and yes, we saw plenty of our own packaging work baled and ready to be turned into something new 🤯), but perhaps the biggest was that diverting more packaging from the landfill is easier than we thought.

Working in partnership with our clients, we hope to do just that on a bigger scale than ever before.

Packaging Innovation & the Sustainability Factor

We don’t claim to be pioneers in sustainable packaging—it’s a constantly evolving landscape and many experts are leading the way—but we are committed to continuous learning and a people-first mentality that drives us to innovate. Our sustainability-focused packaging projects often focus on the “what ifs”: What if we made this packaging out of paperboard instead of plastic—would consumers think differently about the brand or product inside? What if we created a re-usable form of packaging—would consumers actually use it, and how?

In our Chicago studio, we have the expertise, craftsmanship, and space to explore a million what ifs, sketching designs, leveraging AI, and building rapid prototypes of packaging for study. With our knowledge of colors, materials, and finishes, we can evaluate a package design from many angles.

The question we must ask is, if we’re going to redesign a package or structure—with a goal of genuine innovation—can we make it more sustainable in the process? How about with the added challenges of working within existing manufacturing guardrails, maintaining budget neutrality, and complying with the growing list of Extended Producer Responsibility laws in the U.S.?

Greater Sustainability Requires Uncommon Creativity

As a strategist friend often says, it feels hard because it is hard. But that’s change for you. We’re in a moment that calls for insight, imagination, and genuine innovation—but luckily as humans, we’re really good at that when we work together.

A few weeks ago, Dieline declared that brand “survival depends on storytelling.” Reflecting on Expo West, they went on to call out “pricing transparency, ingredient innovation,” and “ethical commitments” as brand-making moments in 2025. Sustainable packaging is undoubtedly another one of those moments, but its high cost and complex tradeoffs require us to think about our preferences, expectations, and beloved consumables much differently. Too often, it seems, we give up before we’ve even begun.

We understand and accept these realities. But we also can’t think of a better time to apply the magical thinking that’s kept our studio humming since 1995. Our role isn’t just to design or build things, it’s to design and build them better than before.

If you’ve got a roll-up-your-sleeves and reduce-your-environmental-footprint kind of packaging project, we’re ready to solve it together.