Research.

When looking for eco friendly materials to potentially use for the packaging I came across a 'green living' website. Below gives 10 eco - friendly materials you can use in the home. As you can see most of the material is either exotic or used for decorative items. This can be a good indicator when designing with 'eco' materials as it gives a wide range of desirable uses for each. 

1. Abaca: Fiber Strength

Similar to bamboo, abaca is grown widely in many tropical countries. It is one of the many species of banana native to the Philippines, and it is also extensively grown in Borneo and Sumatra.  The strong fiber is also known as “Manila hemp” and is used to make currency bills, twines, ropes and clothing.

A home can enjoy this eco-friendly material in the form of woven cloth, place mats and curtains to small furniture such as center and side tables.

2. Bamboo: The Versatile Grass

Strong, resilient, beautiful, abundant and affordable, this humble grass is one of the best materials that one can explore when it comes to achieving sustainability at home. From its roots to its infamous stalk, bamboo has plenty to offer. It is one of the best eco-friendly materials, not only because it is renewable and biodegradable, but also because bamboo helps its surrounding habitats, as their roots hold soil and water, preventing erosions or landslides. Further, Bamboo groves have been found to release 30%-40% more oxygen, compared to hardwood forests with the same volume.

Bamboo shoots or the young bamboo can be made into condiments or pickles and its stalk are extensively used in construction, furniture-making and even clothing. Bamboo can be made into virtually anything, from bathroom mats to blinds, window shades, wall and floor panels.

3. Banana Leaves: A Delectable Choice

Bananas are abundant in Southeast Asia and South America and are typically grown in large plantations. The leaves are used for decoration and also to serve and prepare food in countries like India, Malaysia, Philippines and even in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Mexico. Excess dried banana leaves removed from plantations are unfortunately either made into fertilizers or burned, when they can be put to other practical uses.

Dried, weaved banana leaves make beautiful baskets, candle holders, magazine racks, trays, mirror and picture frames and a lot more.

4. Coconut Products: A Cool Alternative

Grown in tropical and subtropical countries, coconut is another great source of eco-friendly materials. Almost every part of the palm can be used, from its leaves down to its roots. The materials can be used to create household items, such as curtains, wall decors, bowls, ladles and baskets. The Coconut coir fibers are great for making door mats, carpets and rugs.

5. Cogon Grass: The Japanese Bloodgrass

Also known as Japanese bloodgrass, kunai grass in the U.S. or blady grass in Australia, the cogon grass is a weed that damages crops.  Farmers typically spend a lot of time, labor and money clearing the invasive plant, usually burning them or using herbicides.

There are many ingenious ways of utilizing Cogon grass that can help minimize the use of harmful herbicides and reduce the damage to local crops at the same time. Cogon grass can be used to create place mats, carpets, magazine holders and other useful items. Although the production of cogon grass as furniture and décor is still in its earliest stage, it may have a potential global market, as the demand for sustainable materials grows.

6. Corn: More than Just a Meal

Infamous corn has nearly an unlimited number of uses and is widely cultivated throughout the world. Although everyone uses numerous food products that are made of corn or include it as an ingredient, very few people are aware of the dangers that the crop actually brings. Corn produces a tremendous volume of  farm waste with every harvest, which is often left in the field to emit CO2 as it decomposes.

Discarded corn husks can be incorporated into furniture and as home décor, which can be equally beautiful and durable as bamboo, seagrass and other natural materials. A company called Corn Board Manufacturing, Inc has gone even further by developing a proprietary corn-based composite board that can be used instead of particle board, plywood or fiberboard for furniture and home construction!

7. Jute: The Golden Fiber

As the second most consumed and produced vegetable fiber after cotton, jute has now taken a spotlight in sustainable interior designs. Beautifully made jute rugs, curtains, sacks, rugs, chair upholstery and even linoleum backing are just a few of the many options that one can have at home. Jute fiber is labeled as the golden fiber because of its golden to silky shine hue. It’s 100% biodegradable making it another great option for your home.

8. Seagrass: Uniquely Beautiful

Known to be ecosystem engineers, seagrasses are a crucial food source for many marine organisms. Seagrass furniture is now making waves in homes as well as interiors of various establishments. This is because furniture made from seagrass has continuously proven its strength, opulence and durability, three qualities that every homeowner would always be delighted to have in their furniture pieces. Probably the best feature of seagrass furniture is that it is stain resistant, simply because the fibers of the flowering plant are not able to absorb any type of liquid. This is a huge advantage, since furniture are prone to liquid stains.

Beautifully crafted living rooms sets, cabinets, beds, baskets and other types of furniture are available in the market today. They are inexpensive, biodegradable, exquisite and are a must in every green home.

9. Utilizing the Willow Tree

Probably the most well known of the 400 species of the willow is the weeping willow, which can be seen planted along parks, river banks and borders of streams. These trees were supposedly planted to control and protect banks from the strong action of water, but are now regarded as an invasive weed. The roots of the weeping willow tree are known to clog drainage and sewer lines, particularly in Australia.

Aside from replacing native trees along banks, willows have been used to make furniture and decorative items. Surprisingly, willow furniture has been around since the early 1900’s, in the form of chairs, sofas, tables, plant stands and beds. The twigs of the willow tree can be made into durable and beautiful woven baskets, magazine racks, vases and frames.

10. Rattan and Wicker

An abundance of rattan and wicker in forest areas provides a viable source of income to local people and could help curb logging in certain regions. Rattan and wicker grows faster than forest trees and harvesting and transport of rattan canes and wickers are much easier compared to logging, making it an economically and environmentally sensible choice.

Rattan and wicker can be used for a range of household furniture, from couches, dining sets and beds to magazine racks, side tables, lamps, vases and a lot more.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/green-living-10-eco-friendly-materials-for-your-home/


http://sustainablematerials.com/

Rough Concepts.

After taking visits to both Wye Valley, Legges and looking at materials that are at my disposal from the WRE I began to produce rough concept drawings for the design of the packaging. I went for a tradition approach with a twist. The twist either being the stylish graphics or the way in which the packaging is constructed. Details such as colours and specific materials are yet to be confirmed. Further development will follow.

 

Worcester Resource Exchange

A visit to the WRE (Worcester Resource Exchange) was taken this morning to see the range of materials they have available. The WRE is a charity based business and deals with companies taking their waste products to sell to the public or trade them with other recycling centres for them to then sell. This prevents the products from heading to landfill. It was found that a lot of schools use the company for their resources due to the affordability and the greener policies. 

After seeing that there are charities like this doing their bit to try and retain the environment  it makes you want to join. I will most probably be sourcing my materials from here as it is easy to access and the items are affordable (as well as recycled!)

 

Packaging

From browsing the internet I found some interesting bottle packaging, some already on the market.

It seems that the most popular is the standard packaging for bottles consisting of two compartments at the side and a smaller in the middle. This is similar to what the Wye Valley are currently using. The packaging is easily put together, light and manageable for transportation and able to store in bulk. 


I found a few interesting designs from http://www.portabottle.com/products.php. An eco packaging website designing specifically for the transport of goods. Two examples can be seen below.

 










With the brief in mind these designs for packaging are brilliant due to the ability for second usage. The design enables the user to create a stylish product after the primary use is over. This slows the process of packaging returning to landfill.

Legges & Wye Valley Brewery Visit

Last week a visit was taken to both Legges and the Wye Valley Brewery. This was to gain a first hand view of what was sold and a bit of background about the two companies. 

Legges was a quick stop as the shop is relatively small and there weren't many questions to be asked. Pictures were taken of the condiments that will potentially be placed in the final packaging. It was useful to gain an idea of the range of products and sizes. Also the design of the labelling was useful to take into account as then it can be associated with the design of the packaging. The main condiments to go with the beers will be Chutneys, jams and sauces (BBQ or Ketchup).

The Visit to the Wye Valley Brewery was more substantial as we were taken on a tour of the factory where beer is made for both casks and bottling. The brewery has been a family business for 26 years and is a local distributor. The Casks are distributed to pubs, hotels and restaurants where as the bottles go into small shops (such as Legges) pubs and the bigger supermarkets in the Midlands. Locality is a major factor within this company and they try to buy in everything local. 82% of the Hops come from within 7 miles of the brewery as well as other ingredients. The waste hops are also turned into compost and are then redistributed back out to the local farmers (fitting in well with recycling and the bigger green issues).

- 94% of the beer is cask sold (very big market)

- The repackaging will not only produce a greener standard but will help to boost sales of the bottled beer and promote the 'bottled conditioned' nature of the beer.

- The common ground both Wye Valley and Legges have is that they are both small, regionally based companies. The interest is in the craft of the product.

When taking part in the Q&A session many questions were raised as to the spec of the packaging and just general queries. The main factors when questions were asked were:

- Flexible packaging for all beers would be preferred (cost effective)

- Transport and storage in quantity is a big factor and must be considered

- Beer has to be stored upright due to the sediment in the bottom

- Design for the broad market

- Universal packaging rather than seasonal

- Three items per pack would be appropriate

- Colours - Cream and Black of current packaging don't need to be adhered to (link with Legges)

- Logo must not be changed

- Brewery have just developed a stamp logo to highlight the 'bottle conditioned' nature of the beer ( can be incorporated)

- Second usage for the packaging would be a bonus (look up demographic stuff about who buys food and ale)

- Mix Traditional with modern

- The primary branding is through the beer as people find the products through the beer rather than the other way round.

- The gift packs will be sold in small shops as Legges would not be able to produce the quantity needed for bigger supermarket chains.

- "The perception of something more eco-friendly is preferred not so manufactured as well as being in-keeping with the business"

Post Legges and Wye Valley Visit & Q+A - Gemma

Hi Gemma - could you pop up some initial thinking post client visits etc here.. Some folks have also popped-up some useful pics as well - perfect for blogs etc.. Trying to get all to treat their blogs as a 'journal' with a x-section of refs etc - sent a similar post to others too just prompting them to put up initial thinking/refs etc too.

Ta,


Andy

Task 3 - Researching 'Sustainable Packaging.'

Being asked to design a sustainable shoe box with multiple uses I undertook some research into the general market of sustainable packaging and shoe box packaging. 

This is an example of the re-design of Macdonalds packaging when it became sustainable and used less waste product. It began to focus on its impact on the environment in the 1990s. This video gives a good overview of the project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9ejG83lrX4 

When looking at shoe box design the biggest hit I found was Puma's 'Fuse project' They completely reinvented the shoe box and gave the packaging secondary usage. Link to  an article: http://graphicartsmag.com/news/2010/06/reinventing-the-shoe-box 

Nike soon followed Puma and released their packaging, still made from 100 percent recycled fiber, but it has been re-designed to reduce the fiber content by approximately 30 percent. Link: http://www.nikebiz.com/crreport/content/environment/4-7-0-case-study-rethink-the-box.php

These are just a few examples from the range I looked at. My recyclable shoe box design has been targeted at the young female audience. Its dual use enables it to be turned into a small dolls house or shelving for small ornaments. This is easy to assemble using cut and fold marks indicated on the box. (design still in working progress, not all folds figured yet) Minimal ink will be used so the consumer can decorate the box how they wish. The ink used will be vegetable and the cardboard 100% recyclable.

Click to enlarge

Working progress prototype 1...