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Packaging That Comes Full Circle

August 25 , 2025

"Kvatt? What's that?" we've heard you ask.

At SIRPLUS, we've always believed that good design deserves a long life, a philosophy that extends beyond the clothes we create to every aspect of how we do business. So we've partnered with Kvatt, who bring you packaging that shares our commitment to quality, longevity, and thoughtful consumption. We caught up with Gianfranco, founder of Kvatt and passionate advocate for circular systems.

For those who might not know, what is Kvatt?

Kvatt is a climate-tech startup that develops waste-less shopping experiences. Our brand offers online shoppers the option to have their orders delivered in returnable packaging, avoiding any waste. We believe consumers should have the choice to do the right thing, and we’re providing them with that opportunity.

What's the Kvatt story so far? 

Kvatt means ‘goodbye’ in Icelandic. In fact, our motto in ‘say kvatt to waste’! As a consumer myself, I abused online shopping. In fact, it’s after spending 6 months as a student in New York and ordering all my gifts on next day delivery that I realised the amount of packaging waste I was accumulating in my living room. So I decided to dedicate myself to finding a solution that could help eliminate packaging waste and make consumers’ lives easier.

We launched in April 2025 with 3 amazing UK fashion brands: SIRPLUS, Universal Works, and Toast; it's been very exciting! We have been slowly growing our brand, building our relationship with our partners and refining our product based on feedback. We’re thrilled about what’s to come and really look forward to the rest of the year.

Can you explain to our readers how the process works?

It’s really simple:

  1. Spot the pink bird. On a partner’s site, look for products tagged with our pink bird: that means our low-waste option is available.
  2. Opt in at checkout. Choose the Kvatt option and your order ships in our returnable mailer.
  3. Return with ease. After unpacking, tuck the empty pouch into the branded Kvatt return kit and drop it into any mailbox, whether you’re headed to the supermarket, out for a run, or walking the dog.
  4. We handle the rest. Your pouch returns to our hub, where we sort and clean it for reuse. If it’s worn out, we recycle it responsibly.

That’s it! You’ve just made your delivery 100% waste-less and slashed its carbon footprint.

For those who might not be familiar with the concept, what is the idea of circularity in fashion and design?

Circularity in fashion is a broad subject which includes the development of circular supply chains — Kvatt intervenes at the delivery point. In fact, we are a consumer brand ourselves, selling our service to online shoppers. 

We realised that a percentage of people wanted to engage in a service that helped them get rid of the frustration or guilt they might have when receiving too much packaging at home. By making this easier for them, we enable circularity towards the end of the supply chain, eliminating waste related to packaging. 

You've said before that “Sustainability is the end goal. Systems that sustain themselves. [And] circularity is the strategy to reach that goal.” Can you speak more on what sustainability (and sustaining systems) mean to you, and how circularity will help us get there? 

Personally, I am obsessed with the power of circularity. Coming from an industrial design background, I have always been very inspired by nature and its ability to create self-sustaining systems. I am convinced that there is a way to create an economy where we can thrive as a society, grow, progress and develop in a way that doesn’t hurt our environment. Re-thinking our definition of waste is our first step. Packaging doesn’t have to be waste, it can be reused - and that’s what we’re proving.

You've also mentioned before how Kvatt is grounded in thoughtful research, data and real world experience. Can you speak a little more on this grounding? 

We’ve had a very empirical research process over the years but I would say that it’s always been grounded in a methodology of design thinking. Short, quick iterations for feedback, allowing short development cycles and fast improvement. We usually like to test things in real life and consider every option before launching.

At the same time, my experience living in New York really inspired me. Meeting people there and living life at an accelerated pace was truly unique. Resilience was certainly a skill I mastered there that is very useful in our line of work! I was also lucky enough to travel as I was younger, including some humanitarian trips where the only purpose was to give. This generosity is essential when you are trying to do good. It’s all about the people you meet, the trust they’ll have in you and step by step you can have an impact. 

There is a shared ethos between SIRPLUS and Kvatt — a love for meaningful, conscious design and a belief that this design underpins a more sustainable way of life. 

Absolutely, I can see many parallels in the values of SIRPLUS and the ones we are instilling at Kvatt. The design process is for me the most crucial part of any creation. In our case, we are designing a system which will hopefully be able to sustain itself in the future. We need to think about different scenarios, test them and make sure everything fits together. Intention is key in this process: defining what you want and acting on it. 

I strongly believe in what we call ‘mindful living’. The notion that you can design your life to be mindful and considerate. 

It means, thinking about what you do and doing what you think is right. This is what we are trying to facilitate with Kvatt and I can see how it’s reflected in SIRPLUS’ approach to fashion. 

If there was a single message you would want everyone to know, what would it? 

If you see our pink bird, your waste is handled. 

You can learn more about Kvatt’s mission and work on their website https://www.kvatt.com and on Instagram @kvatt_

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