From Grid to Ritual: How Presentable Reinvents Supplement Branding

vial is a multivitamin packaging and identity project designed by India-based lifestyle brand design studio Presentable. It reimagines supplement packaging as a designed system that prioritizes consistency over intervention, framing daily nutrition as an integrated ritual — accessible, structured, and enduring.

Shifting Away from Clinical Urgency

Conventional supplement packaging often leans on urgency, clinical signals, or aspirational lifestyle cues. Bold typography, saturated colours, and exaggerated claims frame supplements as corrective interventions tied to deficiency rather than sustained practice.

vial deliberately moves away from this paradigm through a minimal, system-led identity. Built on a rational modular grid, restrained typography, and colour used as information rather than persuasion, the design shifts attention from promises to process.

Wellbeing is cumulative and interdependent rather than singular or dramatic.

Modernist Structure in an Everyday Context

The identity brings modernist abstraction into the medicine cabinet. Inspired by Piet Mondrian and the modular stacking logic of Tetris, each geometric unit represents a nutrient — distinct yet part of a larger whole. The logotype itself emerges from the same modular grid system.

Elements align, stack, and occasionally fall away, reflecting absorption, shifting needs, and the understanding that wellness is not a fixed end state but something continuously adjusting.

The same modular grid structure informs the construction of the vial logotype, ensuring the mark and the wider visual language emerge from a shared underlying system rather than decorative styling.

A System Across Structure, Colour, and Type

The graphic system operates across structure, colour, and typography:

• Colour: Functions as an informational layer, each hue representing a nutrient.
• Typography: Neutral and controlled, supporting hierarchy and legibility.
• Forms: Solid shapes convey stability, while gaps acknowledge flexibility and dynamic needs.

From Composition to Use

The packaging surface becomes a grid-based interface. Integrated checkboxes allow users to track daily intake, turning the box into a ritual object where routine becomes visible.

Normalising Wellness Through Design

Rather than dramatizing wellness, vial normalises it through structure and repetition. The project sits at the intersection of visual identity, packaging design, user experience, and information design.

Featured on platforms including Dieline, Pentawards, Packaging of the World, World Brand Design Society, TrendHunter, and Retail Design Blog.

About Presentable

Presentable is an independent design studio based in Gurgaon, India, working across brand identity, visual systems, packaging, spatial design, and digital experiences for lifestyle brands.

Website:www.makepresentable.com

Featured on Awwwards, Dieline, Pentawards, Packaging of the World, World Brand Design Society, CSS Design Awards, Mindsparkle Mag, and more.

Amazon India Teams with IIT Roorkee to Curb Stubble Burning Through Crop-Waste Packaging

• Research collaboration develops strong, durable paper mailers from agricultural waste to reduce reliance on virgin wood pulp and address stubble-burning challenges

Amazon India today announced a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee to develop innovative packaging materials from agricultural waste. This project aims to create non-wood paper technology that diverts agricultural waste from burning while reducing pressure on virgin wood pulp. These lightweight yet strong packaging materials offer recyclable and home-compostable alternatives to traditional wood pulp paper or plastic bags.

The research will focus on converting crop residues such as wheat straw and bagasse into high-quality pulp for paper mailers with performance comparable to conventional paper packaging. This helps reduce stubble burning in India by turning agricultural waste into valuable packaging material. It also reduces dependency on imported virgin wood pulp and could create additional income for farmers by providing a market for agricultural residues.

The collaboration with IIT Roorkee’s Department of Paper and Packaging Technology will begin with lab-scale development and testing over a 15-month period. Subject to successful performance tests, Amazon will provide support to progress to industrial trials, process validation, and commercial production by mid to late next year.

Abhinav Singh, Vice President of Operations at Amazon India said “At Amazon, we are building and managing India’s fastest, safest, and most reliable operations network, and we’re committed to making it more sustainable. As part of this effort, we’re partnering with IIT Roorkee to develop innovative packaging from crop residue. India generates nearly 500 million tons of this waste annually, and by repurposing it into packaging, we can support a more circular economy while reducing reliance on conventional materials."

Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant, Director IIT Roorkee said, "Sustainability is no longer a choice, it is an urgent national priority. This collaboration between IIT Roorkee and Amazon is a step towards realizing India’s vision of a circular economy, aligned with government missions such as Swachh Bharat, Startup India, and the National Resource Efficiency Policy. By transforming agricultural residues into biodegradable packaging materials, we are addressing the twin challenges of stubble burning and a reliance on virgin materials in India, while creating scalable solutions that can benefit industries, farmers, and society at large. This initiative showcases how academic research and industry partnerships can accelerate India’s journey towards a more sustainable, and self-reliant future.”

Dr. Anurag Kulshreshtha from the INNOPAP Lab (Innovations in Paper and Packaging) at the Department of Paper and Packaging Technology at IIT Roorkee, Saharanpur Campus will be leading this research project.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce packaging, Amazon ships more than 50% of all customer orders in India either in their original packaging or with reduced packaging. The company ships customer orders in product packaging to more than 300 cities across the country. Since 2019, Amazon India has eliminated 100% of single-use plastic from its packaging across fulfillment centers.

Amazon India is committed to powering our operations more sustainably. The Climate Pledge is Amazon’s goal to reach net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040. We’ve worked fast and made impactful progress over a short period of time, including through investments in carbon-free energy, packaging innovations, electrification of our transport network, circularity improvements, and AI. Amazon has set a goal to return more water to communities in India than it uses in its direct operations by 2027.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit aboutamazon.in and follow @AmazonNews.

GVFL Backs DCGPAC's Sustainable Packaging Push with ₹15 Crore Pre-Series A Investment

GVFL, India’s pioneering venture capital firm, has led a Rs. 15 crore pre-Series A round in DCG Tech Limited, a leading B2B platform for packaging, warehouse solutions, and procurement. GVFL has invested Rs. 10 crores in the round, while Auxano Capital and the promoters have participated in the investment round.

Founded in 2005 by logistics veterans Suresh Bansal and Subhasish Chakraborty, DCG Tech (trade name: DCGPAC) was founded to address the packaging needs of MSMEs, e-commerce and quick-commerce brands by offering them a one-stop, cost-effective solution. With over 60,000 customers and 750 million packaging products delivered, the company has established a strong presence through eight fulfilment centres, six sales offices, and a Design and Innovation Centre. It also has a subsidiary in Dubai.

DCGPAC offers a tech-enabled, end-to-end procurement and distribution platform that provides over 10,000 SKUs across 78 categories. It delivers packaging and warehouse products nationwide. The firm’s solutions, such as Design to Distribution, Packaging as a Service, EcoPac for Sustainable Packaging, and the ProPac Platform, aim to bring efficiency and cost-effectiveness to businesses of all sizes.

The newly raised capital will be utilised to accelerate growth, enhance platform technology, and expand international operations. DCGPAC also plans to introduce innovative models such as RePac for reusable packaging to support circular economy and warehouse products.

Commenting on the investment, Mihir Joshi, Managing Director of GVFL, said, “We see a huge potential in DCGPAC’s mission to revolutionise packaging supply chain in India through a robust technology platform and deep supply chain integration. It has already carved a niche in the segment. We are confident that its pan-India reach, strong leadership, and customer-centric innovations make it ideally positioned to become a market leader in this fast-growing segment.”

Suresh Bansal, Founder and CEO of DCGpac

Suresh Bansal, Founder and CEO of DCGpac, said, “This funding round marks a strategic milestone in our journey. With the backing of GVFL and other investors, and our roadmap of smart manufacturing, AI-based technology, and sustainable packaging solutions, we are poised to lead the next phase of growth in the B2B commerce space. Our goal is to become India’s most preferred packaging and commerce platform for businesses. This funding will go a long way in helping us achieve our target of 10x growth in the next five years.”

DCGpac had earlier raised funds in its first seed round from marquee investors, including Haldiram’s and Saudi Arabia-based Zajil. Angel networks like IPV, VCATS and 9Unicorns were among the investors. With the latest round, the company is set to scale operations, launch new services, and accelerate its growth.

In A Breakthrough, Toppan and Polymateria Unveil Fastest Full-Biodegradable Packaging Plastic That Returns to Nature Harmlessly in Just 176 Days

• Polymateria and Toppan Specialty Films have released packaging which fully biodegrades leaving no microplastic and toxins behind.
• Data released today shows that biotransformed packaging can return to nature in record time – 176 days.
• The revolutionary technology does not affect the mechanical or aesthetic qualities and allows plastic to be recycled for a pre-determined amount of time via a time-set feature.
• Biotransformation technology will help push boundaries in the plastics industry, propelling the switch to more sustainable materials across the value chain in India.

A new breakthrough by sustainable plastic innovator Polymateria in partnership with Indian plastic manufacturer Toppan Specialty Films (TSP), has seen plastics commonly used in the packaging industry biotransform in under 4 months and return to nature in just 176 days, leaving no microplastics or toxins behind. It’s the fastest-ever full biodegradation of biaxially oriented (flexible) polypropylene which is used in food and cosmetic packaging. The result was achieved using Polymateria’s innovative biotransformation technology, which is set to play a significant part in reducing plastic pollution in India and around the world.

Polymateria also worked with one of the world’s largest confectionery manufacturers to create rigid plastic packaging armed with biotransformation technology, which was measured to fully biodegrade in 230 days, breaking a previous record of 310 days. These twin breakthroughs mean that common packaging from candy wrappers to cigarette packaging could be made biodegradable - with important impacts on the 11 million tons of plastic waste which reach the ocean every year [1].

The first prototypes of biotransformed plastics developed through the partnership between Polymateria and Toppan were verified by the fully accredited AIMPLAS Technological Institute of Plastic laboratory in Spain, which tested the plastics under the ISO 17556 standard for biodegradability.

Mr Niall Dunne, CEO of Polymateria said, “I’m delighted to be announcing our record-speed biodegradation here in India given the leadership role the country is playing on tackling plastic pollution. In a market the size of India, multiple solutions will be needed and our technology provides an additional route by making plastic fully biodegradable in the ambient environment. Working with sustainability champions like Toppan gives me great hope that by coming together the industry will rise to the challenge."

Mr Manohar Kumar, CEO of Toppan Speciality Films said, “We are delighted to see the record-speed biodegradation achieved by combining our plastic packaging with Polymateria’s technology. We are already seeing huge interest in our sustainable biodegradable packaging in India and look forward to working with some of the country’s most well-known brands as it gets widely rolled out.”

Products using Polymateria’s technology can be recycled, but if they escape into nature, they will biotransform into a bioavailable wax. The wax then attracts microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, which safely digest it and return it to nature without harm.

Biotransformation technology will be part of the solution to the global problem of plastic pollution, and Toppan is leading the way in adopting innovative technologies which can be brought to scale rapidly. This technology has the potential to significantly boost the sustainability of the packaging industry, in conjunction with other measures including improved waste management systems, consumer education and further innovative ideas from both government and the private sector. Time is running out to tackle plastic pollution, with some projections suggesting there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 [2]. Governments and businesses across many sectors need to work together to create a cleaner future.

About Polymateria’s Biotransformation Technology

Plastic with Polymateria’s technology is made for recycling, however, if it escapes into the natural environment and is exposed to natural elements such as sun, air, moisture and heat, it will biotransform into a bioavailable wax. The wax attracts microorganisms like bacteria and fungi which safely digest it and return it to nature without harm.

Biotransformation technology is integrated into plastics at the point of manufacture, meaning there is no need for CAPEX investment and solution can be scaled immediately by plastic producers around the world. Furthermore, plastics with biotransformation technology look and feel exactly like conventional plastic for their entire service life, offering manufacturers, both a convenient and sustainable solution without compromising on quality.

About Polymateria

Polymateria aims to utilise scientific advancements to address the issue of plastic pollution. Established at Imperial College London, the company has become the first entity to demonstrate, through scientific evidence, that the most prevalent sources of unmanaged plastic waste can be returned to nature without generating microplastics, negatively impacting the ecosystem or disrupting recycling processes on a large scale. As a result of its efforts to promote circularity and combat plastic pollution, Polymateria was honoured as a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer in 2021.

About Toppan

Toppan Specialty Films is a global leader in the development and production of specialty and value-added films (majority PP based) with strong focus on providing sustainable solutions of clearly differentiated quality used in flexible packaging of food, confectionery and fast moving consumer goods, as well as in industrial packaging. The company is known for its innovative, sustainable solutions that help customers meet their packaging needs while reducing their impact on the environment.

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[1] Breaking The Plastic Wave: https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_report.pdf

[2] The New Plastics Economy https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf