Luxury has long meant excess—an expectation that traditionally extended into packaging. As consumer priorities have evolved to include—and prioritize—the reduction of environmental impact, packaging sensibilities are evolving as well. Initially, packaging showed greater restraint, and a move to alternative materials, to limit harmful impact; now, industry leaders are exploring creative new ways to make sustainable packaging a primary touchpoint for digital brand engagement. Not only are these efforts succeeding at using packaging design to advance corporate sustainability goals, but they’re also refocusing the conversation about “impact” from planetary harm to positive, innovative experiences that offer customers more value.

Reducing impact without diluting appeal

When Bain & Company surveyed more than 500 companies that span the luxury packaging value chain—including designers, manufacturers, and distributors of high-end packaging, as well as luxury brands themselves—we found clear signs that sustainability has risen in importance. The luxury packaging experts we surveyed said that the evolution is driven by consumers, who are demanding packaging that matches their growing concern for minimizing environmental impact. Tighter regulation—most notably the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation—was the second-biggest catalyst for the change.

As industry leaders elevated sustainability considerations in response to consumer preferences and regulatory changes, they identified packaging as an easy lever to drive various goals, from decarbonization to biodiversity and biodegradability. The “four Rs” of packaging became the “how to” for reducing packaging’s impact:

1. Reduce: Minimize the amount of material used in packaging.
2. Reuse: Design packaging to be used multiple times.
3. Recycle: Use recyclable materials (e.g., paper instead of plastic) and encourage proper recycling.
4. Recover: Retrieve energy or materials from waste that can't be reused or recycled (e.g., through waste-to-energy processes).

But materials are only part of the equation. Packaging is also key to the optimization of logistics, which can significantly reduce the carbon emissions impact of both the product itself and of the transportation journey required to get that product to consumers. In our survey, the top priority for improving the sustainability of the luxury packaging supply chain was to reduce packaging volume and weight to maximize transport loads and minimize journeys (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Our research also showed a clear expectation among luxury packaging players and their customers that less impactful options will soon become a much more significant part of the industry. Half of our survey respondents said they thought sustainable products would account for more than 30% of luxury packaging sales over the next three years (see Figure 2).

Figure 2

These industry predictions belie a perception shift among luxury brands. While the drive to more environmentally sensitive packaging was initially seen as a threat both to profits and to the critical visual and tactile “first impressions” of the luxury shopping experience, it’s now an accepted trend that has given way to opportunity. In luxury fragrance, for instance, there’s been a push to make glass bottles lighter and less costly to transport, without diluting their visual and tactile quality and appeal.

New materials + design creativity = an aesthetic revolution

As increased R&D has enhanced the creativity and quality of sustainable materials and techniques, this packaging evolution is revealing new ways for luxury brands to connect with the evolving preferences of their customers, sharpen their differentiation in the market, and make the most of technological advances. Beyond simply reducing environmental impact, packaging has also become a pathway to re-envisioning how consumers engage with a product before the box is even opened.

So, what will it take for modern packaging to reclaim its impact in a different way: by standing out and reinforcing the essence of luxury brands, while still being planet-friendly?

Two qualities were differentiating factors for our respondents. The first was exclusive design and aesthetics, including use of natural textures. The second was the use of innovative sustainable materials that can be lighter, stronger, and more adaptable to complex designs.

Advanced paper—more robust than normal paper and therefore better placed to act as a substitute for plastic packaging—is a particularly promising area for materials innovation, flagged by almost half of our survey respondents (see Figure 3). Similarly, materials derived from renewable sources (such as the fungus-derived mycelium) or from technological innovations (such as graphene or biodegradable polymers) can open new design possibilities while maintaining high standards of exclusivity and quality.

Figure 3

Interactive digital designs unlock even more value

As in the luxury fragrance example, close collaboration between luxury brands and packaging producers can ensure that the use of more sustainable, energy-efficient materials or production techniques does not “water down” the overall customer experience. Handled skillfully, the transition to more sustainable luxury goods packaging won’t short-change the customer. Rather, it is bound up in a broader digital transition that should improve their experience.

Packaging can be an integral part of the connected product concept, starting with digital product passports (DPPs), which offer the consumer access to detail about their product, such as materials used and their environmental impact, as well as product provenance. As DPPs provide an accurate record of a product’s authenticity and ownership, they can unlock hidden value for luxury goods customers by boosting the resale value and creating a bond of trust between brand and customer.

The DPP is just one way digital connectivity can embed more value into a product. Almost half the luxury packaging experts we surveyed felt packaging can help create a digital experience that strengthens a luxury brand’s value, not just through the integration of DPPs, but also by allowing the customer to access augmented reality experiences such as product demonstrations. In this new paradigm, the addition of digital experiences to “restrained” sustainable packaging re-elevates the product container to a critical marketing touchpoint, and a truly modern one. It is a physical-digital extension of brand equity that reflects today’s changed consumer priorities and can adapt to future shifts, too.

Luxury brands have always thrived by anticipating what’s next in culture and design. Sustainable packaging offers a chance to do that again, by balancing timeless brand values with new consumer priorities. The transition will require investment, experimentation, and closer collaboration across the value chain. But for those that get it right, the payoff could go way beyond compliance. It could be the next step in reinforcing the prestige, innovation, and relevance of their brand.