The Container Is (Part of) The Content

In the past two days, I came across two stories. They are stories of innovation but they also point to a common pattern. I find this encouraging. Is this a trend? We don’t know yet.

Tide Pods are palm-size, liquid detergent-filled tablets that are designed to be tossed in the washer to take the measuring cups _ and messiness _ out of laundry. P&G says the product, which hit store shelves last month, is its biggest innovation in laundry in about a quarter of a century.

Here’s a solution to our ever-growing plastic problem: package food and beverage items in edible packaging that’s actually good enough to eat. Dr. David Edwards, a professor at Harvard, is working on it. After creating Breathable Foods and an energy capsule, Edwards moved on to WikiCells, an edible packaging technology.

There will be problems to solve. But it shows a deeper concern and an attempt to reduce wastage.