Designed by Scandinavian branding & design agency Bold. The smart and sustainable New Nordic by SAS Cube has been transformed with a design that minimises the use of oil-based plastic, saving up to 51 tons of plastic per year. The former inside plastic container has been replaced by an FSC-approved paper with a plastic coating and a plastic lid made from organic plant-based plastic. Not only that, the lightweight packaging will lessen the onboard mass balancing the carbon impact; an important contributing factor to sustainable travel.

“For the packaging design concept, we’ve taken the proud wordmark as a starting point: by zooming in on typographic details, we create intriguing crops that can be applied to the packaging. These crops can be recombined in many surprising ways, just like the food ingredients chefs have selected for the onboard menus. The design elements developed for SAS are inspired by how chefs work with food. Choosing the best parts of each raw material and allowing them to interact. The packaging material used is natural craft paper, with embossed stamps that signify different dishes and graphic shapes to distinguish menu items and condiments.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 4 March, 2020 In packaging design, Paper, product experience, renewable, SAS, sustainable

The Shell Works transforms the shells of seafood into a paper-like material that could act as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. Four designers from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College have developed a series of machines that turn seafood waste into a biodegradable and recyclable bioplastic. The material consists of a mixture of vinegar and a biopolymer called chitin – a fibrous substance that makes up the exoskeleton of crustaceans and the cell walls of fungi. The material has been used to make anti-bacterial blister packaging, food-safe carrier bags and self-fertilising plant pots.

By Kristina de Verdier on 21 May, 2019 In Material, seafood shell, sustainable

This new collaboration will push boundaries in fabric innovation and usher in the next generation of cutting-edge textiles. Bolt Threads engineers fibers from scratch based on proteins found in nature, and then develops cleaner, closed-loop processes for manufacturing, using green chemistry practices.  Exemplified in the collaboration with Stella McCartney, Bolt Threads is able to create silk using yeast, making the textile vegan-friendly; staying true to the designer’s vegetarian philosophy. Solution oriented, this process reduces pollution, creates long-term sustainability, and always remains cruelty-free.

The material is the result of seven years of research and design in a lab. At the molecular level it is spider silk made by human hands. A big team of scientists, engineers, technicians and designers, have developed a way to closely mimic silk created in nature by producing a fiber from corn syrup that was fed to a yeast fermentation. Once the protein is harvested and purified into a powder, it is wet spun into fibres and twisted into yarns.

The first piece from the partnership will be a one-off gold dress made from Bolt Threads’ signature “spider silk”. It will feature in an upcoming exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art called Items: Is Fashion Modern?

By Kristina de Verdier on 8 January, 2018 In Design, fashion, Innovation, Material, product, sustainable

Lush introduced packaging made from recycled coffee cups in October 2017. An advanced processing technique is being used, to separate the plastic and paper, press-molding the paper to create the packaging. The square clam-shell box design can store up to four of Lush’s solid bath-oil products.

By Kristina de Verdier on 15 November, 2017 In Design, lush, packaging, recycled, sustainable

Viupax revolutionary shoe packaging, designed by Andreas Kioroglou, founder of the Greece based design studio Matadog Design. After two years of designing, researching and testing, the ultimate sustainability shoe packaging has been developed, as it incorporates a number of innovative features. It’s designed to be more sustainable and cost effective compared to traditional shoe boxes by using much less cardboard and less volume.

It uses 20-57% less material and occupies 20-50% less volume.

It is designed to be cost efficient in matters of production and transportation and above all designed in such a way to improve personnel productivity and user experience. It is designed to be flexible in stacking allowing them to be stored in many new and interesting ways. It eliminates the use of bag as it can be converted into a carry bag or shoulder bag to be easily transported by the customer.

By Kristina de Verdier on 4 August, 2017 In box, Innovation, packaging, Paper, shoe, simplicity, sustainable

“Less  is  future”  is  the  slogan  with  which  Malko  talks  to  the  world:  the fight  against  waste is  one  of  the  challenges  of  the  third  millennium.  It  must  be  won  by  changing daily habits. Malko  is an  Italian  product  design  brand  that  was  born  to  inspire  an  eco-­friendly  lifestyle.  Its  mission  is  the  reduction  of  the  disposable  plastic  bottles  use  through  the  new design  of  the  Malko  Bottle. The  bottle is made from stainless  steel, keeping  your  drinks  cold  for  24  hours  and  warm  for  12  hours.  Hygienic,  leak proof,  taste  and  odour  free.

By Kristina de Verdier on 5 June, 2017 In bottle, italy, milan, packaging, reusable, sustainable

The French start-up company Lactips started in 2014 with the purpose to tackle the problem of environmental waste. In order to do this they produce water soluble and biodegradable thermoplastic pellets based on milk protein. Those pellets are used as a raw material for thermoforming, film, or any kind of plastic applications. You have probably seen their soluble film for dish detergent, which is fully integrated with the product – there is no need for the consumer to remove the packaging. So now the company has taken another exciting step in the global packaging development. They have developed an edible plastic packaging for the food industry, created from milk protein (casein).

By Kristina de Verdier on 11 April, 2017 In Design, Edible, environment, Innovation, Material, milk protein, packaging, sustainable

Halo is a completely bio-degradable coffee capsule compatible with your home Nespresso machine. Designed with an innovative blend of compostable natural fibres to protect the coffee flavours. Like many coffee drinkers across the world Halo was dissatisfied with the coffee capsule industries practices, vagueness and green washing.

-13,500 non-biodegradable coffee capsules being thrown into landfill every minute.

-39,000 coffee capsules globally are produced every minute.

-Between 13,500 and 29,000 of these are sent to landfill.

-That’s over 20 billion capsules containing aluminium or plastic produced every year

-Circling the earth 14 times over

Aluminium and plastic coffee capsules are difficult and time consuming for people to recycle so most of them get thrown in the bin. Or they have to be sent for industrial composting which can be very difficult and expensive. Halo is made of entirely organic materials; Bamboo and paper pulp. “It’s not a cheap way of packaging coffee but it’s the right way.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 17 March, 2017 In Coffee, Compostable, Design, packaging, pods, sustainable

Are we ready to change our habits, and reuse one really good bottle, instead of throwing away tons of plastic? The Chilly’s Bottle is a reusable bottle that can keep your water ice cold for up to 24 hours. Chilly’s mission is to accelerate the adoption and everyday use of reusable products. They aim to do this through “creating products with the perfect balance of distinctive style and unrivalled performance.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 6 December, 2016 In bottle, Design, packaging, reuse, sustainable, water

As earlier reported here on Ambalaj, Carlsberg are developing the world’s first fully bio-degradable and bio-based beer bottle. The new bottles will be made from a bio-based green fibre material, made from wood fibres, developed in participation with EcoXpac. The bottles are thicker but lighter than plastic alternatives. They can be manufactured into any design and size, and the trees that will be used are to be replanted at the same rate that they are harvested.

“The bottle has been created with input from some of the leading packaging specialists in the world, who are very excited to participate in the project. Though we still have technical challenges to overcome, we’re on track on the project,” says Håkon Langen, Packaging Innovation Director.

The company have stepped up by creating the ‘Carlsberg Circular Community’ to rethink design, production and packaging for the brand. Carlsberg’s Sustainability Director, Simon Hoffmeyer Boas says that “To Carlsberg, sustainability or CSR is business, it’s not something that’s detached.”

Source: Bio Based World News

By Kristina de Verdier on 18 October, 2016 In beer, biobased, bottle, fiber, packaging, sustainable

Designed by Martina Green. “One third of all plastic produced is used for packaging. Plastic has great packaging qualities, but there is an imbalance between the lifetime of products (hundreds of years) and the actual time of utilization (a few minutes). Plastic packaging generates large amounts of waste that never really disappear. The plastic
 will break into smaller and smaller pieces and cause problem in different ecosystems. Martina is a product designer focused on biodegradable materials. She graduated in Design MA 2014, at the university of Gothenburg. This July she presented 3D-printed algae packaging made from local kelp mixed with biodegradable polymer. The idea is to use algae as an alternative to non degradable plastic packaging. Algae has been used by mankind in ancient cultures, and today it’s harvested on a commercial scale, mostly in Asia. As a packaging material algae has many good qualities; it grows fast, breaks down quick and naturally, does not occupy land space and it is facilitating the growth of marine ecosystem. Martina’s Algae packaging can be used for different applications and the time of degradation can be adapted to required lifespan.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 12 August, 2016 In 3D-printing, algae, Design, packaging, sustainable

People throw away billions of plastic bottles every year and that’s a problem because it takes plastic around 450 years to decompose, which is kind of a long time. Ari Jónsson is a product design student who studies at the Icelandic Academy of Arts. Recently he came up with a way to create a completely biodegradable water bottle using red algae powder. The substance can be formed into a bottle by adding water, heat, placing the resulting jelly into a mold and then putting the mold into a freezer. “What makes this mix of algae and water an interesting solution is the lifespan of the bottle,” says Ari Jónsson, a product design student at Iceland Academy of the Arts, who created the experimental bottle. “It needs to contain liquid to keep its shape and as soon as it’s empty it will start to decompose.” Ari Jónsson exhibited his biodegradable bottle at a design festival in Reykjavik earlier this month.

By Kristina de Verdier on 6 April, 2016 In algae, Design, packaging, sustainable, water

The industrial designers Thilo Brunner and  Joerg Mettler (Brunner Mettler), were asked to create a thermos-version of the iconic Sigg bottle. In an article in Frame, Brunner explains “It’s a family of sturdy thermoses, they belong to a category of physical products that won’t be replaced by immaterial ones: products used for food and drinks. They look very simple and inconspicuous, despite the high-tech complexity that went into their development. The bottles are democratic in price and readily available. They restrict the overuse of PET bottles.” He explains the design intent: “Because of the iconic design of the original bottle, it was clear from the outset that we wouldn’t be starting with a clean slate. Our job was more about treating the old guy with respect, while giving him a more contemporary appearance. We knew the market demanded a larger opening, and we had to incorporate insulation. The double-walled construction considerably increases the total volume of the bottle, but it holds the same amount of liquid. The goal was to make a sleek form despite the extra volume. To make the shapes as fluid as possible, we used splines to draw the bottles. To get the desired curves and balanced proportions, we constantly changed splines, often fighting for tenths of millimetres to achieve a pleasing overall look.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 31 August, 2015 In Industrial Design, metal, packaging, reuse, sustainable, thermos

Paperboy, a wine bottle made out of compressed recycled paper. “Paperboy is about as green as it’s possible to make a wine bottle. It’s made out of a compressed recycled paper, printed with natural inks and the inside contains a recyclable sleeve like you find in a box of wine.  The bottles are rigid and strong – they’re even ice bucket safe for three hours – and take only 15% of the energy that regular glass bottles take to produce. They weigh only an ounce when empty so save a huge amount of energy on shipping. In Safeway now and available nationwide soon.” By Stranger & Stranger

By Kristina de Verdier on 8 November, 2013 In Alcohol, bottle, Design, packaging, Paper, sustainable, wine