Green Design: Reusing Paint Containers

If packaging has a secondary use after its primary function has finished, this also avoids wastage. For further research, I looked into what people are currently reusing paint containers for, searching for inspiration.

Martha Stewart shows on her website how to reuse paint containers as cubbyholes, something to store your pens, papers etc. in. Perhaps if the exterior of the paint container was decorated fashionable, this could be something that my target audience would be interested in.
See more here: http://www.marthastewart.com/272668/paint-can-cubbies

I also found an example of people reusing old paint tins as bird feeders. This is a fun idea and promotes a environmentally-friendly image of the company.

Another example that kept appearing was how to turn your paint container into a flower pot. Laurel shows on her blog how to transform an average paint container into an attractive flower pot, simply by adding wrapping paper around its outside.

This is a fairly simplistic idea that would be easy to adopt. It would also promote the environmentally-friendly nature of the Edward Bulmer company, as it links the paint to plant-life. It encourages the user to plant a seed after their paint is used, encouraging a better environment. It also says something about the paint if the container can be used to grow a seed once the paint is gone. It reinforces the natural, friendly ingredients of the paint, though it would seem likely to clean the container out first.

The exterior of the paint would therefore have to have an attractive label for this idea to work. My target audience, especially, would not simply want to plant flowers in a simple, plain aluminum container, as it looks cheap. However, with a sophisticated and attractive exterior, I feel like they will be encouraged to reuse the packaging for this reason. If they don't want to reuse the paint container, then it can always be recycled. There is no harm done, yet this could be an incentive for them to make use of reusing products.

Bronwyn Hayes also uses a similar technique on her blog with turning old tin cans into flower pots. She uses fabrics, paints and buttons to achieve this attractive result. She also attaches string to the tins so that she can hang the flowers. See Bronwyn's magazine: http://www.red-brolly.com/photos/red_brolly_books/

I found another example on Kate's blog, who transformed old paint containers into a pot for storing herbs. She decorated the containers using soft, muted colours.

Something that I considered was if my target audience would bother to garden, especially if they are likely to hire a decorator for painting rooms. However, I feel like gardening is certainly a more middle-class hobby and something that they could take an interest in. The blogs of the people I looked at who were finding ways to reuse old paint containers were all women, sophisticated and obviously into arts and crafts. And when you think that my target audience "goes to all the glossy magazines for inspiration" (see previous blog post), looking at magazines such as Country Homes & Interiors (also see previous blog post), it is likely that they will be interested in this concept. The target audience was also described as "middle aged to retired homeowners" and these are usually the people who take interest in similar small arts and crafts projects.

"For me it has to be classical, I love antiques and traditional colour schemes compliment them beautifully." This was also said in the key costumer insight, so if I went with this idea I think I would have to produce a elegant label to be able to pull the concept off.

I found on Country Living (a magazine my target audience is guessed to read) other ideas of reusing materials, which reconfirmed my theory that this idea was suitable for my audience. They showed how to reuse soup cans, by turning them into small flower pots and pots to store cutlery in when entertaining! Seen below: