Food Packaging
Exploration 1

Most packaging materials become waste, which may further impact the environment as litter, landfill, or water contaminants.
 

View the video of Original Unverpackt by the Transatlantic Outreach Program as a class.
Divide students into groups of four.

Students should find Original Unverpackt on Wiener Straße in Berlin using Google Earth Street View.

Present the inquiry question to students. Ask students to consider what they would need to know to answer the question. Ask students to frame their need to know in the form of a question.

Have students read Exploration 1: Food Packaging from the Companion Reader below Then students will move on to the task below.

Allow students time to discuss their observations and answer the following questions in their small groups. Then ask the groups to share their observations.

• What differences from a typical grocery store do they notice?
• In what ways was the shopping trip like their own experiences? How did it differ?
• Are there any similar stores in your community?

Ask students to discuss the following:

• Identify examples of sustainability actions that Original Unverpackt has taken.
• Add the examples of sustainability actions to the Chart of Berlin’s Sustainability Goals.

Homework
Ask students to do the following in preparation for a design challenge.

• What materials are used to package food and household items that your family uses? If students would like to share, have them bring in examples.
• What types of packaging materials are from renewable resources? Nonrenewable resources?
• How much packaging does your family discard in a week?
• What happens to the packaging your family discards? Reuse? Recycling? Trash?
• How much does packaging contribute to the cost of goods your family purchases from the grocery store?
• How important is branding and brand image in packaging design?
• What action could you take to reduce waste from packaging?

 

Create a Prototype: Investigating Solutions:
Students will complete the Activity Exploration 1: Activity – Design a Dispenser below.

1. Have students choose one packaged grocery product that they use that could be sold without packaging. Students should:

• Analyze the materials used in the product packaging.
• Describe the raw materials needed to make the product’s package.
• Evaluate the sustainability of the product’s packaging.
• Improve the sustainability of the product using the concept of unpackaged.

2. Design a dispenser for the product.* Students will:

• Describe the problem they are solving with the dispenser.
• Identify the benefits of their dispenser, including who will benefit from its use.
• Identify any possible drawbacks (intended or unintended) of their dispenser.
• State their design criteria and constraints.
• Identify at least two possible design solutions and state the pros and cons of each design.
• Provide specifications for their final dispenser design, including materials and dimensions in inches and centimeters.
• State the instructions for assembling and using the dispenser.
• Give students instructions on how they should construct a model of the dispenser. Some options are:
  • Have them use found materials like clean containers to make a physical prototype of their dispenser.
  • Ask them to draw a sketch of their dispenser.
  • Students could use a 3D website to design their dispenser (e.g., Google SketchUp, 3DSlash, or TinkerCad).

3. Students will write an “elevator speech”—a 1-minute sales pitch—for their dispenser design.

*Note: Students may choose between designing a dispenser, reusable packing, reusable bags, or a new use for shipping cartons.


 

Set the scene for group presentations by referencing the popular U.S. television show Shark Tank, known in Germany as Die Höhle der Löwen (The Lions’ Den).

After students have completed the activity, allow each group to present their packaging solution to the class using their elevator speech and model. Groups that are not presenting will be the investors. Each group should be prepared to answer investor questions about their dispenser.

Provide students with the claims from the Original Unverpackt website (below) and have them choose one. They should find evidence to support or refute the claim. They will shoot a short commercial video (maximum 2 minutes) on the platform of your preference. Have them include a call to action related to the claim that could be undertaken by an individual or community. Students should share their videos with the class.

Claims

• In 2018, the average American produced 680 kg (about 1,500 pounds) of waste. We separate and recycle, but most of our waste ends up in a landfill (Leahy, 2018).
• Waste reaches the sea from landfills. The micro-plastic is eaten by fish and ends up on our plate again. We can do something about that!
• Say no to unnecessary disposable packaging and buy quantities that you really consume. Reduce plastic waste and leftovers.

If students identify a community problem related to food packaging that can be addressed through action, challenge students to take action.

• Use mixed-ability groupings.
• Read-aloud strategies can be used for the information sections.
• Use voice dictation for writing the elevator speech. Show examples as needed for the assign task. Provide sentence starters for writing and speaking activities.

• Organize examples of sustainability actions into categories according to Berlin’s sustainability goals of land management, air quality, and climate neutrality.
• Identify examples of sustainability actions that Original Unverpackt has taken.