Corrugated cardboard boxes aren’t just great for packaging and shipping goods across the world. They can also be reused and up-cycled to make amazing works of art, home goods, and some of the most inventive Halloween costumes you may see this year.
We’ve been talking more and more about sustainability in the workplace and in business considering the overwhelming amount of waste is produced each year. Notably, the clothing and textiles manufacturing business sees some of the worst waste statistics of any industry. Businesses are guilty of overproduction, and consumers are guilty of over-consumption of clothing. According to data from Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART), more than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States, and the amount has doubled over the last 20 years. That’s a dangerous amount of waste, and that’s just the consumers.
We live in the age of Instant Gratification and Instagram. People are “doing it for the likes,” aka creating experiences for the purpose of posting pictures — and having their best, most liked picture with each new post. When it comes to Halloween, the “Instagram” mentality is off the charts. Where Halloween used to be a fun day for young kids, today teens, college coeds and young professionals are participating more than ever. Parents of young children also want their kids to have award-winning costumes. They need not only be unique, but also funny, topical, and often controversial. The times of re-wearing costumes is a thing of the past. New costumes are bought and discarded each year, and they are accumulating a lot of waste in the process.
In an effort to reduce waste and still remain Insta-cool, here are some deeply creative costumes using corrugated cardboard boxes. We salute these people for being recycling and sustainability heroes, and for finding another great use for packaging.
1. Because this nostalgic arcade game will bring everyone back to their childhood:
2. Because they may be the most recognizable apps on the planet (and super simple to replicate):
3. Because everyone loves sandwiches:
4. Because artists and engineers make the best costumes:
5. Because…. why not?
Sources: Buzzfeed, Pinterest