Download - Japan Bags 1
Reducing Consumer Goods Packaging Waste in Japan
Team Boston
4/25/08
The Problem
• How do you convince all Japanese to aspire to unpackaged goods?
The Problem
• How do you convince all Japanese to aspire to unpackaged goods?– Let’s pick a subgroup we can influence and who can
ignite a trend on our behalf
some
The Problem
• How do you convince all Japanese to aspire to unpackaged goods
some
purchases that they make for themselves?
minor
And let’s focus on items without the
“cultural baggage”:
Not gifts
Not luxury goods
Not bananas!
• If we’re taking away a beloved aspect of the shopping experience (packaging), we need to provide something to fill the void
So, what could that be?
Cultural Insights
• The Japanese readily embrace technology as an integral part of their lives
– Japan consistently ranks near the top of almost every global list in technology adoption, including broadband, PCs, and mobile phones
• Source: “For Young Asians, The Net Dominates Media Use,” Forrester; 26 November 2007
• Innovation as fashion: young Japanese (late teens and twentysomethings) often wear their personal electronics as accessories
Cultural Insights
• Japanese urban life is marked by a bag-toting culture
Idea: Carry-All Totes
• Design a fashion-forward, high-tech tote bag for young Japanese to buy and carry their convenience store purchases
Idea: Carry-All Totes
• This isn’t just a simple tote bag. It would:
– Be equipped with a payment device (bar code or RFID chip) which also ties in to an online points program
• Online point system tracks how much waste you’ve reduced• Potential for social component tie-in: group bagging goal-
setting, city vs. city challenges with prizes, etc.
Idea: Carry-All Totes
• Have a sleek, instantly recognizable form and design– It would be designed by a well-known fashion house
(e.g., Takashi Murakami), thus bestowing it instant style credibility (important among this youth demo)
• Although this starts as a youth-centric fashion statement, the act of hi-tech “bagging” becomes the trend that the masses embrace over time.
Other Details
• Q: Who would sponsor this?– A: Government or environmental NGO would
fund design work and marketing efforts
• Q: Distribution?– A: Totes should be sold through youth
clothing/fashion and accessory stores as well as electronics retailers