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Fred Richards, founder of The Hive Principle and curator of the Chicago Brand Museum, was already immersed in the world of packaging design when a casual conversation with Evelio Mattos, CEO of Packaging Unboxed, sparked an ambitious year-long experiment. Fred noticed his vintage packaging collection of over 20,000 items contained surprisingly little plastic, raising the question: how much plastic waste does an average family generate in a single year? With his professional background in brand design and personal passion for packaging history, Fred embarked on a journey that would transform not only his family's waste awareness but also provide valuable data for sustainable packaging innovation.
The Challenge
Fred's challenge was both simple to articulate and monumentally difficult to execute: collect and categorize every piece of plastic his family discarded over an entire year. Despite his expertise in packaging design, Fred was unprepared for the sheer volume of plastic that would accumulate. "The scale of the issue is monumental and far exceeded any of our initial projections," Fred noted after witnessing months of collection. Most concerning was the realization that despite efforts to be environmentally conscious, including regular recycling, the Richards family was generating significant plastic waste through everyday activities, from food packaging to personal care products.
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Working with Scrapp
When the plastic collection began overwhelming Fred's storage space, Mikey Pasciuto from Scrapp entered the picture. As a self-described "waste accountant," Mikey brought the analytical expertise needed to transform Fred's collected plastic from an overwhelming pile into meaningful data. Using Scrapp's comprehensive system, Mikey meticulously categorized each piece of plastic, identifying patterns in consumption and waste generation that would have remained invisible otherwise.
The breakthrough moment came when the analysis revealed that nearly 72% of food packaging was recyclable by weight. Perhaps most surprising was the revelation that drink packaging contributed over 50% of plastic generated during the year.
"What makes this collaboration powerful isn't just the numbers—it's how the waste begins to tell a story," Mikey explained. "Waste shows habits. When looking at waste from a consumer lens it just looks like trash, but when you look at it from an individual perspective, it tells a story of the life that person lives."
At the CHICAGO BRAND MUSEUM, we had the opportunity to partner with SCRAPP on a unique project. The project was a yearlong study into a family’s plastic consumption. Without the help of SCRAPP this project would have been simply an exercise and not a profound conclusion to the findings, data, and insights. A brilliant team who aided us produce a presentation for Pack Expo along with a study of insights and observations. A partner from the beginning to the exhausting end, SCAPP was there with us every step of the way.
Fred Richards, Founder of The Hive Principle and the Chicago Brand Museum
The Transformation
The year-long experiment resulted in a comprehensive 63-page report detailing every aspect of the Richards family's plastic consumption. Beyond the raw data, the project transformed Fred's perspective on consumption and waste. What began as curiosity evolved into a profound awareness that has changed their family's purchasing decisions and waste management habits.
"We assumed incorrectly that using our recycling blue garbage can was enough to provide us with a certain level of comfort that we were doing our bit for the environment," Fred reflected. "As a family, we need to do far more and far better."
The analysis revealed that by implementing zero-waste strategies—such as using concentrates instead of water-heavy products, eliminating bottled water, and purchasing items like coffee beans in bulk—the family could reduce their plastic footprint by up to 82.4%.
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Looking Forward
Fred and Scrapp continue to share the findings from their collaboration, using the data to educate consumers and brands about practical waste reduction strategies. The report has become a powerful tool for demonstrating how individual choices scale up to significant environmental impact when multiplied across a city like Chicago.
"As with the revolution to tobacco before, we need a true consumer revolution to resolve our sickening addiction to plastic and how we dispose of it," says Fred. "There are now and always have been so many alternatives that still protect the food, such as reusable, sustainable, practical, affordable, and beautiful. We need to change."
For organizations looking to understand their environmental impact and develop actionable sustainability strategies based on real data rather than assumptions, Scrapp offers the expertise to transform waste awareness into meaningful change.