Ecodesign and COVID-19: Thinking packaging differently

Here in Quebec and elsewhere around the world, the ongoing health crisis has disrupted our spending habits. As part of ÉEQ’s annual general assembly held on April 29th, Geneviève Dionne, Director, Ecodesign and Circular Economy, presented an analysis on ecodesign in the age of COVID-19.

For consumers and companies alike, the pandemic raises many concerns. Attention to hygiene, health and safety, and suspending consumer options like bulk or zero-waste are some of the new habits our expert has observed.

But what types of behaviours do these habits generate when it comes to packaging?

  • Greater demand for packaged and portioned products
  • Increased consumption of single-use products
  • Increase in online shopping
  • Refusal of reusable containers for food purchases
  • Refusal of returnable containers at retailers

These observations show that our vision of packaging is changing. Once criticized, packaging is now valued and preferred for its essential health and safety features.

In this context, packaging ecodesign becomes more pertinent than ever.