Low-waste laundry: Dropps redesigns packaging to reflect eco-convenience commitment

09 Dec 2020 --- Amid COVID-19 pandemic health concerns and global climate change, both cleaning and sustainability are top of mind for many households. 

Minimalist laundry detergent brand Dropps is responding to these trends by updating its brand identity to communicate its commitment to environmental protection more clearly.

Key details of Dropps’ brand refresh include a slimmer, reimagined brand logo, as well as a reduced packaging size and the elimination of adhesive labels to eliminate waste.

“We hope that our new look and brand messaging can motivate other leading brands to offer alternatives to single-use plastic for consumers,” founder and CEO Jonathan Propper tells PackagingInsights.

Demand for low-waste packaging alternatives such as Dropps is propelled by rising ambitions among consumer packaged goods brands to rethink supply chains with the planet in mind. 

“The problem won’t be solved by complex business models that are inconvenient for consumers. Instead, we need to focus on a ground-up approach to redesign the way consumer products are designed, manufactured and disposed of,” says Propper.

Colors reflecting core values on-pack
Packaging design plays a central role in brand outreach, attracting consumers and encouraging repeat purchases. 

Dropps’ logo and wordmark is restructured and rebalanced, while letterforms have been slimmed and redrawn to refine the existing equity, making it “cleaner, simpler and more mature.”

The branding’s Silka font is complemented by primary colors of green, blue and muted yellows to exude the hues of nature and cleanliness.

“The changes are minimal, but as we continue to experience record-breaking growth, we have intentions on growing our product assortment across the home and personal care categories. Our new branding sets us up for future success as we expand,” Propper explains.

Eliminating labels and excess material
When Dropps laundry detergent pods were first developed 15 years ago, it was important to Propper to eliminate unnecessary additives found in other laundry pod products.

Among these additives, he lists bright dyes (“because colors don’t clean”), chambers in the pod, fillers and excess water. “This concept of eliminating the unnecessary resulted in major cost and emissions savings for both our company and for our consumers,” Propper adds.

The Dropps box is used to simultaneously pack and ship contents to avoid unnecessary secondary packaging.Progressing that vision, Dropps’ rebranding is discontinuing adhesive labels. All product details and full ingredients transparency are now printed directly on the product package. 

The packaging box itself has been redesigned for a more modular system: single, couple and family packaging sizes all now have the same footprint to optimize cubic utilization – an important aspect of space – and resource-efficient logistics and warehousing. 

The packaging redesign reflects a “modern aesthetic” better aligned with current consumer packaged good trends, the company notes. Moreover, all Dropps product packaging continues to act as the shipping container, “so no shipping a box in a box.”

The box is further made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified, corrugated cardboard and is recyclable and compostable.

Remaking cleaning for good
Anchored by an “eliminate the stupid, elevate the core” mantra – get rid of the unnecessary, and make life simple for both people and planet – the Dropps redesign ultimately aims to “remake cleaning for good.”

Its goal is to eliminate all unnecessary household cleaning components falling into the “stupid” category. “Shipping jugs of detergent is an example of a stupid,” Propper explains. These kinds of eliminations have resulted in major cost and emissions savings for the company.

“Safe ingredients that clean effectively, convenient home delivery that helps minimize environmental impact, and creating innovative, low-waste product packaging for the industry are just a few of our ‘cores’ that we like to elevate,” Propper maintains.

Dropps’ cardboard packaging has eliminated well over 1.7 million single-use plastic packaging containers.Refreshed look warrants industry discussion
The company further aims to use its rebranding as an opportunity to raise awareness of domestic-based supply chains and local distribution strategies. 

“This not only acts as a foundation for unforeseen circumstances that can cause delays or [impact the] availability of essential products like the industry saw at the start of the pandemic, but also empowers and uplifts local communities and the manufacturing sector at large.”

Ultimately, Dropps’s new brand identity aims to bring joy to household cleaning and home care, which is not typically considered a fun, leisurely activity. 

“Cleaning often gets a stigma of being a dreaded chore, but we hope to change the conversation, making it easy to get effective results that can also benefit the planet,” concludes Propper.

“Small changes can add up to a big impact and it’s our goal to make it as easy as possible to implement those improvements in one’s day-to-day life.”

By Anni Schleicher

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