Altoids

Posted March 9th, 2008 by

A business associate recently handed me a small cardboard box as a token of appreciation for doing business with them. Of course, the gift wasn’t the box itself — though it was a nice little sturdy box — but rather, what was inside it. After removing said gift from said box, the lonely cube sat on my shelf for a number of weeks. Ultimately, I couldn’t think of a another use for it… so off it went into the recycling bin.

Then it occurred to me: What if the packaging industry was mandated to create all containers for consumer goods, such as plastics and boxes, in a set of standard sizes?

Much easier said than done, I know. But, think about it:

Most packaging only has few additional uses, and it’s up to your brain to figure out what those uses are (this is a barrier to re-use, if you will). So, what do most people do? Throw the container out. Not cool. However, with a limited set of standard sizes, the number of possible other uses for such containers would proliferate, and I’m sure people would gladly share their ideas. Ultimately, this would encourage people to keep containers around for other uses. An ecosystem around exchanging and selling used packaging might then appear. More manufacturers might then accept packaging back for shipping out other products.

Consider this: One day somebody realized that an empty Altoids tin made a great container for a project they were working on, and shared their idea with the world. Now look. On top of this, consider the amount of free publicity Wrigley’s, the manufacturer of Altoids, is getting. (But look at their website: It’s a shame that the company doesn’t appear to take advantage of this.) Anyway, I know I’ll never look at an Altoids tin the same way again.

What about Web 2.0 API mash-ups? Expose an interface to a product that was intended to do one thing, and chances are somebody will find some other use for it, and provide free publicity in the process.

Would conforming to some existing standard help your customers? What other uses of your product could you promote? Are people using your product in ways you never conceived in the first place?

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