LAYER has created a comprehensive rebrand for Earth Rated, with a focus on sustainable packaging and products. The playful new identity has repositioned the sustainable dog brand, empowering it to enter new segments of the pet market and expand their core offering from poop bags – the "messy stuff" – to encompass sustainable accessories and toys that make dog ownership simpler and better. The extensive project includes a new brandmark, holistic branding system and design language, 6 products made from recycled and natural materials, and 50 pieces of sustainable packaging and point-of-sale displays, with 33 total SKUs across 17 formats.

Earth Rated was founded in 2010 and quickly dominated the poop bag market with its sustainable ethos and friendly approach. As the Canadian brand and its ambitions evolved, it undertook an extensive two-year branding project led by LAYER that launched in March 2023.

The LAYER branding and product teams conducted in-depth workshops with the Earth Rated team to determine their vision for the future, and intensive user research into the experience of pet ownership to gain valuable insights. These insights were then translated into a holistic branding system that celebrates sustainability and the joys of pet ownership with an identity that is thoughtful, uplifting, and progressive.

This holistic branding system is centred around a simple yet effective brandmark that captures the playful nature of Earth Rated. In the new execution, the brand name is expressed in a minimalistic, san serif font with a characterful dog silhouette integrated into the negative space of the "T" and "H" letterforms. This subtle representation of a dog is an evolution of the more overt cartoon canine mascot that dates back to Earth Rated's beginnings.

The new identity is defined by fresh greens and vibrant yellow accents. This creates a distinctive, ownable signature that aligns with the brand's focus on sustainability and, like the logo, is a logical evolution from the previous brand identity. Importantly, yellow is one of the few colours visible by dogs, who see the world differently to humans.

A Green Approach

Earth Rated is proudly B Corp Certified, a designation that measures a company's entire social and environmental impact – and these sustainable values are at the heart of the rebrand by LAYER.

The new products are made from recycled and recyclable materials, post-consumer waste, and natural materials, including natural rubber, and the packaging is made from recycled plastics, post-consumer waste, recycled cardboard, and natural ink.

The Earth Rated rebrand was also about making great design accessible and affordable for a wide range of dog owners. The poop bag dispenser, for example, retails for just US$5.99, and a pack of 315 scented or unscented poop bags retails for US$18.99.

The Messy Stuff

Earth Rated is known around the world for their distinctive poop bags and dispensers – both of which have been reimagined by LAYER. The new poop bag dispenser is an intuitive and identifiable design that features a clip to hold used bags whilst walking and a textured strap that can be attached to a leash or bag. The bags – available in compostable, lavender scented, and unscented versions – are dispensed through a slot in the side, offering easy access and the opportunity to create a "billboard" for the Earth Rated brand as the bags unroll.

Playful Products

LAYER also designed a new collection of dog toys (including packaging) that celebrates the sustainable values that drive the brand. Joyful geometric forms are combined to create objects that invite interaction, while textured surfaces offer tactile touchpoints that encourage an intuitive user experience for both pet and person. The sustainable material palette comprises recycled and recyclable materials, compostable and post-consumer recycled plastics, and natural rubber. All toys are dishwasher safe for ease of cleaning and can be recycled at the end of their life.

The five toys offer a variety of interactions for dogs and their humans – Fly, Tug, Fetch, Treat, and Chew – and subtly reimagine classic typologies for added functionality. The Fly Toy, for example, features a raised rim that allows easy purchase by a dog; the Chew Toy has a twisted form that allows the dog to effectively hold the toy in their paws whilst chewing; and the Fetch Toy is made up of two intersecting forms to create an unpredictable bounce that adds excitement during play.

The Complete Package

The new Earth Rated packaging is just as considered and sustainable as the products themselves. There are 33 total SKUs across 17 formats, all defined by elegantly reduced forms that minimise material use. These simplified forms are complemented by restrained graphic design and typographical treatments, and balanced by an expressive use of colour. The generous volumes of green evoke the legacy of the brand and stand out on often crowded shelves. The high-contrast brand name and product information is printed using natural inks and is legible, accessible and informative, with a clear hierarchy of information.