It is proven that about 40% of the world’s plastic is used to produce packaging. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that America generates almost 80 million tons of packaging waste each year. So, how can we as packaging designers, work to do better? During my Summer semester at Equator Design, I researched Sustainable Graphic Design and Visual Sustainability, where sustainability is seen not only through production and materials used, but also through visual qualities of design. For this project I focused on to go boxes, asking how can we promote sustainability within restaurants and stores, and how we can make something that is already sustainable even better?

For the Sustainable To Go boxes, I chose to tell the story of sustainability by promoting healthy foods. Organic shapes and lines reflect nature, while the bright, fun colors give users the sense of freshness. This conceptual design has been rolled out onto three boxes, but would ideally extend to an entire line of takeaway boxes.