From a new contender in the paper-bottle spirits category to testing and prototyping designs on TikTok, here are some things that made us say “That’s Interesting” in the studio this week.
Absolut Paper.
Absolut Vodka joins Coca-Cola, Carlsberg, Diageo and L’Oreal in partnering up with The Paper Bottle Company (Paboco®) to introduce a radical change to the world of spirits packaging. They have created a new bottle prototype that is made from 57% paper and 43% recycled plastic, and uses a metallic crown cap closure with a solid PVC free liner. It’s great to see brave brands innovating, challenging category conventions and changing consumer perceptions to help us all become more sustainable and protect our planet. Absolut Paper is a welcome alternative to single-use glass, but the mixed material approach is probably not yet suitable for other drinks applications, where mono-materials are more recyclable.
Change is in the card(s) here
Bioplastic Skin.
Icelandic designer Valdís Steinarsdóttir brings us the latest mind-blowing innovation in food packaging… And it comes from the industry itself! In her project, byproducts of the meat industry are turned into a bioplastic material for packaging. The containers are made from Bioplastic Skin, which comes from the hide of the animal itself. All the materials used can be dissolved in hot water and biodegrade within weeks, and it’s an ingenious solution to managing the amount of waste that is produced in slaughterhouses while also cutting down on plastic films and trays. Steinarsdóttir has also extended this thinking to other parts of the animal – for example, Just Bones looks at using bones to develop a strong, natural material similar in strength to MDF. And yes, it is a little gruesome to think of (or you can think of it as pigs in blankets!), but that is the kind of disruptive thinking needed to move sustainability forwards!
The meat of the matter here
The perfect fit.
So long to shoelaces and shoehorns! Nike just created the first fully hands-free shoe! Five years ago, the brand started experimenting with different ideas around how sneakers could become more accessible and be worn with minimum effort. Up until now, this required a hand zip, tie or strap to close the shoe. But the newly launched Nike GO FlyEase uses a bistable hinge in the shoe midsole, which transitions the shoe from open or ready to wear to set or closed by simply stepping in and down on the footbed. How can design, innovation and engineering meet to reinvent classic designs to be more accessible and empowering for everyone?
Just GO here
TikTok solutions.
For many, TikTok has been a source of much needed amusement and entertainment during lockdown. But the Social Media platform has also been put to an entirely new use: it has been used to crowdsource and prototype a pill box for people with Parkinson’s. The trigger was a video posted by athlete and advocate Jimmy Choi, in which he shows his frustration trying to open a pill bottle with trembling hands. Brian Alldridge – a Portland-based videographer – saw the video, contacted Choi, and invited other TikTok members to work together on a 3D-printed solution: an accessible, Parkinson’s friendly pill bottle. Is this a new, Social Media powered chapter for collaborative and crowdsourced design and innovation?
Join the movement here