Remember the red iPod Nano, a particularly memorable music device from the 2000s that Apple rolled out as a special-edition product?
Just before those were discontinued several years ago, Ying Liu, who helped oversee their manufacturing and sale, made sure to grab one — “for sentimental value,” she said.
That, it seems, is just Liu’s personality, to preserve the things that have brought value to her life. It led the former Apple executive to found a retail company, Blue Lake Packaging, with the goal of reducing plastic-packaging options by offering more sustainable, fiber-based alternatives.
Studies show plastic pollution has irreversibly harmed marine ecosystems, while incredibly small debris known as microplastics have made their way into drinking water and the larger human food chain.
But Liu believes it’s never too late to start using everyday replacements for ordinarily plastic items, such as bamboo rulers, fiber-based toy storage boxes and pencils made from recycled newspaper, plus Blue Lake’s latest offering: a biodegradable tape dispenser.
The iPod probably isn’t making a comeback, but Liu places far more emotional value in the oceans that she’s known and loved her whole life — so much that the company’s name would’ve been named “Blue Ocean” had that not been taken.
The Beijing native once taught English overseas and traveled the world as an Apple executive, before the demands of motherhood led her to settle down in Los Altos Hills, where in 2018 she ran for the local school board and once led the parent-teacher association.
Liu previously founded a company based around an app that helped travelers plan their trips. But her well-honed expertise in the supply-chain industry led her to this latest venture, for which she is currently selling products online, including on its website and Amazon.
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What made you interested in the packaging industry in particular?
A: I went…
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