Start Date
6-10-2025 9:00 AM
End Date
8-10-2025 7:00 PM
Description
Personal care market is drowning in plastic waste. Every week, 420 million lower middle- class consumers discard 2.94 billion sachets, while 560 million middle-class households throw away 2.8 billion bottles and tubes monthly. Despite growing environmental awareness, the gap between intention and action remains huge- 72% of consumers know plastic harms the environment, but only 38% dispose of it properly. This paper argues that while Product-Service Systems (PSS) provide solid theoretical foundations, Service Design is the practical game-changer that can solve India's packaging crisis. Through a mixed-method study involving 95 survey responses and 15 in-depth interviews across Indian cities, we discovered that consumers want to be sustainable but face real barriers: inconvenient refill locations, hygiene concerns, and lack of meaningful incentives. This study introduces “Dropify” a service-based circular packaging system combining QR- code transparency, Dropify makes the act of returning a bottle straightforward, significant, and scalable in a world where single-use culture predominates. It moves sustainability from the periphery to the mainstream, where it belongs. Even with 5% adoption in five metro cities, it could divert 168 million bottles annually. Through surveys and interviews, we show that incentives and access drive change more effectively than material swaps. The impact potential is significant: even with just 5% adoption in five metro cities, we could divert 168 million bottles annually and save 37,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Economic modelling shows the system becomes profitable within six months through consumer savings and brand loyalty. This study contributes three key insights: (1) quantitative evidence of India's segment-specific waste patterns, (2) proof that behavioural incentives outperform material substitution, and (3) a scalable service blueprint that aligns consumer, brand, and policy interests.
Citation
Sharma, D., Mehta, V.,and Absolom, A.(2025) Beyond Packaging: Service Design as a Catalyst for Sustainable Personal Care and Circular Packaging in India.. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/servdes/servdes2025/researchpapers/3
Beyond Packaging: Service Design as a Catalyst for Sustainable Personal Care and Circular Packaging in India
Personal care market is drowning in plastic waste. Every week, 420 million lower middle- class consumers discard 2.94 billion sachets, while 560 million middle-class households throw away 2.8 billion bottles and tubes monthly. Despite growing environmental awareness, the gap between intention and action remains huge- 72% of consumers know plastic harms the environment, but only 38% dispose of it properly. This paper argues that while Product-Service Systems (PSS) provide solid theoretical foundations, Service Design is the practical game-changer that can solve India's packaging crisis. Through a mixed-method study involving 95 survey responses and 15 in-depth interviews across Indian cities, we discovered that consumers want to be sustainable but face real barriers: inconvenient refill locations, hygiene concerns, and lack of meaningful incentives. This study introduces “Dropify” a service-based circular packaging system combining QR- code transparency, Dropify makes the act of returning a bottle straightforward, significant, and scalable in a world where single-use culture predominates. It moves sustainability from the periphery to the mainstream, where it belongs. Even with 5% adoption in five metro cities, it could divert 168 million bottles annually. Through surveys and interviews, we show that incentives and access drive change more effectively than material swaps. The impact potential is significant: even with just 5% adoption in five metro cities, we could divert 168 million bottles annually and save 37,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Economic modelling shows the system becomes profitable within six months through consumer savings and brand loyalty. This study contributes three key insights: (1) quantitative evidence of India's segment-specific waste patterns, (2) proof that behavioural incentives outperform material substitution, and (3) a scalable service blueprint that aligns consumer, brand, and policy interests.