The Afterlife Of A Plastic Water Bottle

Creative Agency: Happy mcgarrybowen
Design Director: Arnab Ray
Designer: Shivani Singh
Writer: Sriraksha Ragunathan
Account Manager: Siddharth Vaidyanathan
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Chai Point
Location: India
Packaging Contents: Packaged Drinking Water
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Plastic
Printing Process: Digital Printing

Objective
Chai Point constantly endeavours to be an eco-friendly brand. From cardboard flasks for hot teas to glass bottles for iced teas, they try their best to keep plastic usage to minimum. As they expanded their beverage range, water entered their portfolio. However, the most practical method to package water is in plastic bottles. Given the constraint of the material, Happy was tasked with finding an environmentally forward idea for the plastic water bottle.

Creative Solution
We observed that people unsuspectingly dispose plastic bottles thinking that they’ll get recycled. Since recycling also burns a substantial amount of energy, we wanted to intervene in the stage before the eventual fate. That’s how we thought of the “Afterlife of a plastic water bottle”. We used the medium (the bottle itself) to carry the message of upcycling. The language was conversational, inviting and fun to create a sense of light heartedness around a heavy subject. The visual treatment was minimal, to restrict ink usage. We wanted people to make things that made them feel good too. That’s how we came up with the ideas of planters and bird feeders. For a creative mind, the possibilities are infinite. Overall, the plastic bottles serve as a reminder to those, who need just a tiny nudge to do small things for greener living.

Impact:
The new packaging allowed Chai Point to establish its stance, of being conscious about the environment. It also gave users, who think twice before buying plastic bottles, a guilt free reason to prefer Chai Point’s bottled water over others. And sustain a relationship with the brand, on their desks, windows or balconies, long after the purchase.