From tea containers to humble pencils, we’re seeing a rise in plantable packaging. We won’t lie, it makes our environmental-loving hearts skip a beat every time several serious problems are tackled at once.
In this case, the creator of Lifi is showing us that it is possible to avoid packaging waste and avoid loss of organic materials through pointless burning (think of how your city handles leaf collection during the fall).
This project comes straight from the mind of Lithuanian designer Edmundas Jankauskas.
Edmundas created Lifi (pronounced ‘leafy’) as a final project for his Master’s Degree at the Vilnius Academy of Art. Lifi is already an award-winning concept, having received accolades such as Red Dot Award for Design Concept in 2018 and Silver, A’ Design Awards 2017-2018
Here’s how Lifi works:
Every autumn, the package creators collect fallen leaves from the deep forests of Lithuania. The leaves are washed, crushed with a mixer, turned into a fibre, placed into a mould, and carefully shaped into cube packaging. The entire process remains untainted by chemicals or additives.
The hand-made packaging is then filled with herb seeds.
When you bring the cube home and start watering it, the packaging starts to dissolve while at the same time helping the seeds inside grow into a healthy herb. All the organic decomposing materials release minerals which help the plant thrive. Compare that to the alternative of buying herbs potted in plastic, which is often the case with herbs you can find in the supermarket.
The active packaging can be reused many times or just thrown away when you no longer need it. It will decompose in nature or in your garden. You can even add it to the soil of another plant in your collection.
Lastly, the label is made with an eco-friendly paper and printed with plant-based ink.
Photos from Edmundas Jankauskas’ Behance profile.
For more plantable packaging ideas, have a look at this compostable tea container that comes with a seed stick.
