In Vietnam, pollution has become a crisis, being one of the world’s most significant contributors to mismanaged plastic waste and having major urban areas frequently rank among the worst air quality globally. As a developing country, a substantial source of pollution comes from business households and SMEs, who often justify their excessive use of plastic for its abundance and low cost.

As a small coffee brand known for its signature egg coffee, Eggyolk challenged Hands Collective to reimagine how it approaches packaging for its new tableware collection to reflect the brand concept and products while lowering environmental impact and cost.

Our solution blends iconic brand assets with sophisticated structural design to create a consistent packaging suite that can be expanded to a wide range of products.

The design features only necessary information and simple use of colour and illustration to limit the usage of ink and paper while maintaining the cohesiveness of the whole visual system.

Structural designs eliminate adhesive and create a unique unboxing experience that resembles the motion of cracking an egg, enhancing the brand experience.

Straw, a common agricultural byproduct, insulates and protects fragile items inside, eliminating plastic-based wrap. It also helps reduce pollution from the open burning of straw, a common practice by locals. The boxes can be given a second life as nursery growing bags, with the straw inside being used to retain moisture, and after a while, the rotting straw will become organic fertiliser.

As a small brand, Eggyolk doesn’t aim to create a significant impact but rather to set an example for other SMEs to challenge their conventional packaging usage, investing in design and replacing plastic with existing alternative materials to enhance efficiency and brand experience.