The Stash Tea project explores the unsustainable nature of packaging in the tea industry, specifically the individually wrapped bags prevalent in the American market. Issues are notated, and solutions are provided in non-intrusive ways that won’t interrupt how consumers use the product. The new look and feel stands out among the sea of boxes found in most retail settings.
I designed a product map presenting research of the product lifecycle in both text and image formats, depicting the waste created by the existing packaging and framing the new solution proposed by our group and how it helps to amend the issue.
Our journey began with field research at a national chain store. My project partner and I found we shared a mutual frustration with individually wrapped products, and we zoomed in on the tea industry because it's sold as a cheap product but comes with a much bigger price to the planet. We analyzed the shelves, finding a sea of boxes but with containers standing out if they were "anything but square." We hardly knew it yet, but this became a foundation for our later ideas.
Field trip, cylinder containers as standouts.
Field trip, aisle showcases a sea of boxes.
Field trip, current Stash Tea packaging, late 2025.
The various iterations of product waste roadmaps, beginning with low-tech digital prototypes and ending with a final, collage-esque variant made of the waste materials of the existing product, including all of the individual wrappings within a single retail box.
The original "brainstorming" map prototype.
First digital prototype, a "planning" phase of sorts.
Second digital prototype, introducing use of packaging.
Third digital prototype, doubling down on material use.
Feedback recorded for the third prototype.
Final product, the result of research and craft.
Final presentation layout of the (Un)sustainable research project. The layout includes the final product map as a background, along with the old packaging and the new, sustainable mockups in their standout, cylindrical shape — this unique shape positions Stash as a pioneer in the tea industry, breaking molds to pave the way for a sustainable future in the Western world, traditionally more wasteful with tea products.
Final presentation, high view.
Final presentation, low view.
The final video presenting Stash tea as a pioneer in the tea industry.