The Whole Package

In a world that continues to feel the impact of disregard for the planet, the need for effective and
sustainable consumption is vital. Enter Hi-Cone: a lead supplier for drink packaging. Something
as small as a six-pack connective packaging may not seem like it has a significant influence on
the world, and yet, considering that Coca-Cola alone sells 1.8 billion bottles per day, the
numbers start to add up. While existing packaging remains cheap, it often employs Type 4
plastic: a difficult material for recycling centers to process. Furthermore, current designs are not
user-friendly, proving difficult to carry and creating a challenge of separating the drinks from the
packaging.

In response to these issues, The Whole Package design team aimed to redesign everything
about this packaging. We sought to embody a unique angle, balancing user-centered design,
manufacturing practices, and ease of recycling to make something that benefited everyone who
interacted with it.

There were several guides we kept in mind as we worked. Our goal was this: a simple design
that still allows for stackability, ease of manufacturing and processing, and curbside recyclable
in the US. In addition to these objectives, we wanted to improve upon current packaging by
emphasizing ergonomics and human factors, interactive design, and materials.

Our new design employs an aluminum material that can be recycled alongside the aluminum
drinking cans. Aluminum is the best choice for this package because, as the third most recycled
material in the US, users never have to question its recyclability. As many communities make
the difficult decision to remove materials from their recycling programs, plastics #3-7 are the first
to go. Fortunately, aluminum is so easy to recycle that it will always remain an integral part of
any recycling program. In fact, 75% of aluminum ever manufactured in North America is still in
use today through recycling. For these reasons, aluminum is the perfect choice for this
innovative package design.

The sturdiness of aluminum is what allows the central mechanism of the design to function. The
“sliding mechanism” behind the design allows for an innovative but simplistic method to access
and store aluminum cans. Instead of tediously unpacking numerous cans, it is now a matter of
ripping open the seal and letting the contents slide out. Unlike before, The Whole Package’s
design is reusable, allowing an emptied six-pack to be easily refilled. With these features,
ergonomic handles allow for these packs to be carried comfortably. All in all, The Whole
Package is confident that this redesign allows for superior recycling potential while delivering
upon business and consumer expectations from this product.