In our Coffee Talk series we give the voice to passionate people working for a world with less plastic

SuperBee-autiful

SuperBee is a family-owned social enterprise nestled in the picturesque mountains of northern Thailand supporting plastic-free living through sustainable, ethically made eco-homeware.

The dynamic and thriving enterprise creates employment in rural areas and promotes women’s empowerment. The dedicated team is made up of mostly women, from local villages. Many have remained with the company since it’s early days.

Superbee’s eco product portfolio of Beauty & Care, Home & Kitchen and Travel& Gift products is amazing. Just have a look at their online store.

Antoinette Jackson, Founder and CEO of Superbee has clear Golden Rules: Employees & community first; Prioritise People, Planet and Profit equally; If it seems like a good idea, let’s give it a go!

The Valley of the Flowers

Valley of the Flowers is a volunteer-run & non-profit sustainability awareness initiative in Montana, USA, founded by Wren Kilian. The project educates about using less plastic through Bag for Change programs, Environmental Stewards, a Zero Waste Market and offering local foods through an urban farm. Wren’s motto is "Building Community through Sustainability".

Beauty & Recycling

For more than 35 years now,  Arbos - which is the latin word for tree - expresses what makes “Made in Italy” quality unique: creativity, design, the know-how of craftsmanship, art and historical & landscape heritage.

In the green hills in the North Italian province of Vicenca close the picturesque village of Bassano del Grappa, Sergio Paolin and his team passionately create beautiful paper and stationary products from environmentally responsible materials.

In our CoffeeTalk we asked Sergio, what his biggest challenges are, and he answered with his innate entrepreneurial mindset: The history of Arbos is all about challenges. This is what drives us forward. Accepting and mastering challenges is in our nature! 

The people at Arbos have a strong sense to combine aesthetics with natural and recycled raw materials. Creative experimentation is in their DNA. The philosophy is to have a place for creative people where economy, culture, design and manufacturing mingle and flourish, much similar as the school- workshops founded in Northern Italy around five hundred years ago, setting the foundation of the high cultural period of the Renaissance which still shapes our civilization today.

Hemp Plastic

Dama Distributing, based in Colorado USA, offers biodegradable hemp packaging solutions. The founder and CEO Cole Gibbs has a strong message:

We do not need to drown ourselves in petroleum plastic anymore. There are so many alternatives out there!

Before Cole started his own company, he researched on alternative fuels for vehicles. This helped him to understand how plants can be used to replace not just fuels, but also petroleum plastics.

Dama BioPlastics was formed to provide sustainable, carbon- negative bioplastics and biomaterials for manufacturers who are looking to make the switch to more eco-friendly materials and reduce their carbon footprint. They just launched one of their first products, Dama Black, a 100% plant-based and carbon-negative solution to traditional carbon black.

Plastic Free Restaurants

Plastic Free Restaurants eliminates petroleum-based, single-use plastic from restaurants and schools by subsidizing the purchase of reusable replacements.

The initiative was founded and is run by John Charles Meyer, who has had a lifelong aversion to single-use-plastic. One day when he witnessed the amount of plastic being disposed at a friend’s newly opened burrito shop, the spark for his Plastic Free Restaurants venture was ignited.

Many restaurants and schools fear the change to reusable dishes, because they think that it will affect their cost structure negatively. This is where John and his team step in. They subsidize the change and build structures resulting in money saving. So far around 100 restaurants and schools turned plastic free thanks to this amazing initiative with a remarkable impact, which is listed here.

John’s personal statement how to solve the plastic pollution problem in general is strong & simple: “Stop excusing our own personal use of single-use items. Bring a cup to Starbucks, bring bags to the supermarket, avoid products with unnecessary packaging, and bring reusables to picnics and birthday parties in the park! Be the change!”

Compostic

Compostic is a kiwi company - founded by Jon Reed - that creates home-compostable alternatives to plastic. Jon and his team developed a home-compostable cling wrap and compostable resealable sandwich and snack bags. These kitchen products are the perfect alternative to plastic – they look and function just like plastic, but they will break down entirely in your compost at home in under 24 weeks into biomass that can be used to grow new plants.

The compostic team has created a fantastic blog on their website, where they give helpful information how to live eco-responsibly. Here they explain how easy apartment composting works.

Every other day…

Frederik Rasenberger is a product designer and founder of EveryOtherDay, a company for sustainable design located in Munich. Freddy designs and manufactures recyclable products which are available on his online store.

He is following cirucular design methods and recently created a super cool table lamp called Cozy Cleo made out of pressed recycled cardboard with no additives like binder or glue. The elegant lampshade gets 3D printed from recycled plastic bottles. In this short stop-motion-video you can see how the lamp is made.

Freddy optimized the process to use pressed cardboard without artifical addititives for over 1.5 years. He sees a great future in this truly holistic sustainable material, which is impact resistant, shatterproof, burns poorly, and is well recyclable, making it ideal for applications in the furniture industry.

Workout with PESO

Eco-product designer Michela Panizza from Italy recycles face masks to make beautiful gym weights. With her design project PESO, Michela demonstrates a homegrown & handcrafted recycling technique. She wants us to pause and reflect of the environmental weight (="peso") that we are leaving in the world due to our use and disposal of single-use face masks.

Plastic-Free Medical Education

Working in the Medical Education field for over 20 years, Mark Wyn has seen many plastic based simulation samples being used and thrown into trash after the courses. He began to think about what happens to this waste and how he can be an agent for change. Mark founded BioFusion Labs which creates biodegradable human tissue and organs for Medical Education.

Let's go circular

To tackle the roots of our global waste problem, we could replace up to 90% of fossil-based plastics with bio-alternatives, enabling a circular bioeconomy in which biomass is treated and traded as a valuable resource. However, a general lack of information paired with a lack of economies of scale still hinders us from taking action. Therefore, Circuteria, a smart and sustainable online platform, connects and advises efficiently all stakeholders along a circular bioeconomy to produce, use and recycle sustainable materials and products. 

Circuteria uses a smart match-making and simulation methods to provide buyers and sellers of bio-alternatives with the right information they need. For example, manufacturers can easily find the best bioplastic material from a supplier to replace their currently used fossil-based plastic, using our BioMaterial Finder: First, a manufacturer uploads all necessary information about their currently used plastic and tests with a simulation the use of different bioplastic alternatives on their product  avoiding production errors and over-engineering. For each finding, Circuteria then also takes important life cycle parameters of a material into account, including CO2 emissions and the relative amount of recyclables. 

The start-up Circuteria, located in Berlin, is an interdisciplinary team of a sustainable business developer, Gesa Schneider, who has excellent industry and leadership experience in the fields of renewable materials and sustainable manufacturing, and a computational scientist Dr. Sebastian Stolzenberg who is an expert in the simulation of biomaterials and hollow solids, and the development of online platforms. 

Eggshell Ceramic

10 billion eggs a year are produced in the Netherlands, which makes the country the largest egg exporter in the world. An egg produces a valuable material which is often seen as waste; its shell. ‘Eggshell Ceramic’ is a circular material derived from this industry to show new possibilities with this material.

Laura van de Wijdeven beautiful objects show that we can also use the material one more time before it is given back to nature. She developed a biodegradable but strong material out of eggshells which can be a sustainable replacement for single use products. The material has the look of ceramics but the weight of cardboard, which makes it a versatile material. At the end of its life it still can be used for agriculture. The discarded eggshells are coming from a Dutch chicken company that sells its eggs to supermarkets. A part of those eggs are broken in the process from egg to packaging, which provide waste and useless material for them. 

Currently Laura is working on further product development of the material and its recycling process. As a designer she is inspired by nature and the effect nature has on human. She tries to connect people to nature in different kind of ways. With her project ‘Eggshell Ceramic’ she shows the possibilities of a food waste we all know, all over the world and tells the story of this material and all its beautiful benefits. 

Peel Pressure Made Us Do It

Creating biodegradable products from organic waste – thats Caracara Collective’s calling. The team has spent the last years experimenting with different recipes and techniques for turning bio-waste into functional objects. Their first collection includes hand-crafted lampshades made of orange peel, and they aim to implement the technology into packaging solutions of the future. With a binder made from 100 % natural ingredients, almost any type of organic by-product of agriculture and industry - fruit peels, coffee chaff, you name it - can be turned into new materials and products. Furthermore, the diversity of the world’s organic waste creates a beautiful color palette to work with, adding a special characteristic and story behind each product. 

The long-term aim is to share the techniques open source so that people around the world can utilize their waste to create solutions locally. Years of experimentation have proven that these materials and techniques are highly adaptable, scalable, and easy to produce. One could create a low-budget and low-tech setup for recycling bio-waste into artisan products, or a whole factory for producing large batches of biodegradable packaging. The goal is to create a global impact through local initiatives. 

The story starts in the summer of 2015 when designer mates Aleksi Vesaluoma and Richard Sullivan started playing around with orange peel in their kitchen in London. Then they encounter an event that leaves the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall full of orange peel. After a chat with the organizers, the guys walk out with as much orange peel as they can carry, which starts a new passion and a journey of material development. Alongside their industrial design studies in London, the guys keep testing new recipes and techniques for working with organic materials. In 2018 Aleksi moves back to his hometown Helsinki and starts Caracara Collective with designer Aleksi Puustinen. They work in a studio space which is a hybrid between a workshop, kitchen, laboratory, recycling station, and an urban farm. Most of their raw materials come from the orange juice machines of their local supermarket and pine needles fallen from discarded Christmas trees. The next stage in their journey is to travel to different places in the world to start sharing their knowledge of working with local biomaterials.

At the Beach: Robot picking up Plastic Waste

The BeachBot detects small litter in outdoor areas, like beaches and parks and needs your help to detect even more.  It is programmed with artificial intelligence enabling it to efficiently map and collect litter, detecting and acting at the same time.  A swarm of robots can collaboratively hunt for litter.

The project incorporates a human-robot interaction. By using a gaming application, anyone with a smartphone can contribute to improve the litter detection algorithm and make the robot smarter. The process is simple: The robot scans the area and collects litter images. Each raw image is then added to a database which forms the input for a labeling game where the gamer can match images with the right type of litter. This way, the initial detection is verified by a reliable (=human) source. This is a win-win formula since (A) the detection algorithm will be improved enabling the robots to perform their task autonomously over time and (B) increasing human awareness on the effects of littering will contribute towards a changing mindset and reduce generating waste at the source. 

Edwin Bos likes the nature of the Dutch coast. What he does not like is litter at the beaches. So he started to think and act.  He and his fellow entrepreneur Martijn Lukaart have built the BeachBot together with the passionate people at the Technical University Delft. Edwin and Lukaart are the co-founders of TechTics, a consultancy based in The Hague that works to resolve social issues with technology.

The Dissolving Bottle

The Philippines is commonly called a “sachet economy”. This is how most people purchase their toiletries, with little awareness on the impact of single-use plastics on the environment. And due to inadequate waste management, ocean pollution is huge problem, especially when taking to account that the country is completely surrounded by a marine ecosystem.

David Guerrero and his team at his creative agency in Manila redesigned a shampoo bar into the shape of a bottle to make it more intuitive. 

Solid shampoo bars are a genuinely simple solution to get rid of plastic packaging, but most people still think it’s a bar of soap. Bottles for hair. Bars for the body. So far this was not appealing for the hotel industry or home consumers to use. So by changing its shape, maybe we can change the consumer mindset. David says, “We have long been involved with campaigns to fight plastic waste. And with The Dissolving Bottle we have a solution that can clean your hair without a bottle.’”

Each bar is made with all-organic ingredients by local Filipino manufacturer The Naturale Market. Partner brands have the chance to customize their own versions of The Dissolving Bottle and the agency is also offering to supply the molds at cost to artisanal producers for community livelihood projects.

UpCircle - Taking Skincare to the next level

Skincare is a dynamic market. Today, many brands claim to be vegan, natural, handmade, organic and cruelty-free. 'Natural’ has become the “new normal” - and for UpCircle normal is ok, but boring. They go a step further with their circular waste-fighting formulations and packages and they are proud to be pioneering that movement.

It all began at a local coffee shop where Will learned that coffee grounds are sent to landfill. With the passion of his sister Anna for beauty she knew that coffee had loads of great skincare benefits, so that was the ah-ha moment! It was time to take the leap…the UpCircle sibling co-founders quit their jobs and risked it all to nurture their by-product beauty baby. Since then it has grown to be the UK’s #1 upcycled skincare brand and when reading about their impressive values and the mission they are on, we know there will be even more good to come.

The packaging across the UpCircle range is 99% plastic-free and they offer plastic-free refill options for the remaining 1%. UpCircle is a plastic negative certified brand meaning they remove more ocean-bound plastic than used for packaging.

Made from Palm Leaves

Solo is a delivery package made of only one material: the dry palm leaf. The packaging doesn’t require resins, glues, or any kind of chemicals, being naturally biodegradable and compostable. Besides that, the container can go in the microwave, oven, and freezer. 

Palm leaf is composed of natural fibers (hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin) which are proven to have excellent properties to be used in delivery packages, like retaining heat. Additionally, no palms are ever cut or damaged to obtain the raw material. Only dry leaves are ideal for production, so we  just have to be a little patient until they fall naturally. They fall during the whole year and each one can make two containers on average. 

Putting botany and design together, Solo keeps the convenience of a disposable package whilst making no harm to nature. This material has equal or even better characteristics compared to the polymer ones, maintaining the food temperature, not absorbing liquid in short term, and having no smell or taste. 

It all started when Ana, a Product Design student, researched about using palm leaves in products and presented a fictional project to a subject in university in Brazil. Mateus, a Product Design student and botany lover, was there and fell in love with the idea. He spent months just studying and testing this material and realized how good the idea was. After that, he called Ana and they started to make it happen. Nevertheless, they still needed someone to help with all the machinery and to model the product, so they called Yago, the third co-founder and also a Product Designer, and invited him to be a part of the team. 

Suppli: The Future of Sustainable Takeout!

Suppli is a reusable takeout container service that uses an innovative approach to eliminate single-use plastics from the takeout and delivery industry. Female-founded and based in Toronto, Suppli partners with local restaurants to provide reuseable containers so customers can enjoy takeout without the waste.

In only 10 months after their launch, the founders Megan Takeda-Tully & Julianna Grecoand, who were inspired by the Tiffin lunch system (better known as "dabbawalas") in India, have signed up almost 2,000 consumers and 25 partner restaurants and saved 8,500 single-use takeout containers from landfills (for context, that’s 8 minivans worth)!

Suppli’s mission continues: Locally, Toronto serves approximately 39M takeout meals per year, which means tossing around 78M pieces of waste each year.

Scoby & Eggs

Julia Correia Campos designed and developed a snack packaging with a compostable material made out of bacterial cellulose from Kombucha SCOBY and eggshell. Both materials are abundant resources that would normally go to waste. They are low-cost and easy to process, making its manufacturing process feasible. The bacterial cellulose and eggshell bio-composite is home-compostable. Since eggshells contain macronutrients that are essential for plant growth, the packaging can also be torn down into small pieces and used as fertilizer. 

In order to manufacture the foldable, rigid, light-colored, and printable material, the bacterial cellulose and eggshell are washed, boiled, and ground. Then they are mixed together forming a pulp that was then dried between two fabrics, using as reference the manufacturing process of papermaking. 

The shape and structure of the packaging were designed to be practical in use with its opening and closing flaps. The Brazilian Modernism artistic movement inspired the visual concept and these characteristics are portrayed in its organic silhouettes, vibrant colors, and the use of local decorative patterns. 

The project was part of Julia’s design studies at the University of the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The material was created together with Ponto Biodesign, which is an experimental laboratory that develops materials with bacterial cellulose and local food waste. The aim was to create a solution that had less negative environmental impact compared to the traditional single-use plastic food packaging and to celebrate the local design culture.

Powder to the People!

ETHOSA, a waterless personal care brand founded by Gaëlle Chatelard was born from two passions: The environment and beauty. Gaëlle grew up surrounded by the nature of the French Alps and then started to work in the beauty and personal care industry where she experienced that environmental responsibility was rarely top priority. Time to try a better way on her own and start ETHOSA, based in London and making environmentally friendly, refillable, powdered personal care products that are tailored to people's body skin needs. The first product, Sablé de Bain, is a powder-to-gel body wash that activates with water within seconds and that goes into a beautiful lifetime refillable bottle. Welcome to the waterless revolution!

Gaëlle is supported by Lisa Mallison, a French creative designer, art director and illustrator based in London as well.

Growing with Sprout

Eco-Designer Pat Mangulabnan from the Philippines contributes with her sustainable packaging concept Sprout to the growth of local plants.  Sprout is made from discarded pineapple leaves that grow after using the package into a new plant. The plantable feature ensures that its life does not end right after consumption; its purpose continuously changes before, during, and after use.  It’s where circular economy meets sustainable design.

The concept also includes a digital application with a QR code, which guides the user when, where, and how to correctly plant the used packaging depending on the seed season. The app would let people know where they have already made an impact by planting their Sprout, further challenging and motivating them to continue Sprout’s mission.

Pat works with the Design Center of the Philippines and local agricultural communities to ensure proper composting and planting is possible. The artwork is printed by using organic soy ink and the food is protected by an edible starch wrapper.

Sprout’s design eliminates unnecessary waste and encourages locals to actively contribute to the preservation of the diverse Philippine flora. Sprout’s packaging design lets us consumers interact better with the product, gives us a sense of fulfillment and responsibility, as well as reinforces a positive behavioral change towards living a more sustainable life. As Pat says: „I love that the package is interactive – you can learn about the seeds and plant them instead of discarding the packaging!“

Bioplastic ART

Agostina Laurenzano’s work at the intersection of artistic and scientific research has lead to the creation of bioplastics in order to fulfill a circular economy. She had repeatedly researched different renewable sources in the area where she lives under the condition that it should be agricultural waste which is no potential food, or anything derived from animals. She identified a very rich source of starch at the bottom of her garden, thanks to the collection of Japanese medlar seeds. After this discovery, she has devised a production system. Then two prototypes have been developed. The first is a 100 % biodegradable bowl, made from starch and silicate. Silicate is of mineral origin containing silicon, the second most abundant chemical element in the earth’s crust. It is incorporated in the recipe to increase the resistance to humidity, making it waterproof and reusable. For decorative purposes, dehydrated vegetables are used to create a more romantic result. The second prototype is a disposable sachet of virgin olive oil, made from starch, with heat-sealed edges. 

In 2017 Agostina Laurenzano was given the opportunity to attend the laboratory of the Faculty of Biology at the University of Barcelona were she built up her own portfolio of research in natural polymers over the years with projects in jewellery design and lately on a more functional level in packaging design. She currently gives workshops a on bioplastics and eco-design.

The Item Bag 2.0: Packaging That Dissolves!

Why are we still making packaging with desired lifetimes of an hour, a day or a week out of materials that last hundreds of years?

This is the question that prompted the founders at wastebased to start their company. They make biodegradable packaging for the on‑demand economy. Their (e-co)mmerce mail bags are compostable, strong, waterproof, reusable and non-toxic.

Their ecopackaging 101 guide explains very well the pros and cons of different packaging solutions.

Disintegrate me!

Margarita Talep is an industrial designer based in Santiago, Chile. Her work explores biomaterial research, sustainability and circular economy. 

She has created several eco-conscious design solutions and also collaborates with her Alma Mater - the Diego Portales University - in a new Biomaterial Laboratory project.

Desintegra.me intends to replace single-use plastics with a new material extracted from algae. The Spanish term “Desintegra me” implies, that it will „disappear“ after using it. Pigments are extracted from the skin of discarded fruits and vegetables. 

The material can have different degrees of flexibility, and can be rigid and brittle to flexible and elastic. It degrades naturally over a period of 2 to 4 months depending on the atmospheric conditions. 

Margarita Talep’s website shows beautiful examples for packages with this innovative material and also gives a very good explanation how we use materials in a cultural sense.

Waxy

Ecosoc is a social enterprise based in Mogadishu, Somalia spearheaded by a team of young environmental conservationists who have a background in Medicine and Environmental health. In order to clean up the cities of their plastic waste, they have introduced an innovative chemical-free and energy-conserving plastic extrusion technology called „Waxy ıı Technology“ to recycle and transform waste plastics, packaging materials and agricultural waste into durable and environmentally friendly roof tiles, interlocking bricks, paving stones and plastic lumbers. This reduces the need for building material manufactured from wood, helping to preserve the forests, cut down on deforestation rates and mitigation of climate change. 

The people from Ecosoc collect – with the engagement of youth – and women groups- waste from households, businesses and municipal markets and take it to decentralized sorting sites where in gets sorted into more than 40 fractions. They then compost the organic waste into high-quality compost; the other materials (paper, glass, metal) are also recycled. The beauty of the recycled Waxy products: They are durable, cost effective, aesthetic, insect resistant and easy to work with. Ecosoc’s three year strategic plan is: 1. Recycle over 2.5 million kilograms of plastic and save an estimated 250 acres of forest. 2. Prevent 2,500 Tons of Carbon dioxide gas emissions. 3. Create 300 direct jobs. 

U-Retain

U-Retain is an environmental and educational initiative in Lusaka, Zambia. Plastic waste remains one of the main land pollutants in Central Africa. The dumping of plastic materials in the streets of many communities is extreme.

U-Retain seeks to use waste plastic as a purchasing power for educational basics such as books, pencils, school uniforms, school bags, school shoes and help adolescents in examinations classes pay their examination fee. Furthermore the initiative allows streets kids and the less privileged to get food and sanitary products.

The initiative collects and trades the plastic waste to recycling companies and the money is used to get educational material and also menstrual hygiene products. The people of U-Retain work together with the Visionary Youth for Change Initiative.

Shell Homage – Bio Material Out of Egg & Nut Shells 

Shell Homage is a biodegradable composite material out of egg and nut shells without toxic chemicals. It is completely biodegradable and can decompose when no longer in use. It can be used in several industries as product design, interior design, consumable goods and jewelry design.

Shell Homage is founded by the integrated designer Rania Elkalla and was initiated during her master research project. The material properties can be controlled according to the application from stiff, hard, transparent, translucent or opaque surfaces to elastic and malleable sheets. The surfaces looks like marble or natural stone but the material is much lighter. The created composite material can be pressed, extruded, 3D printed or formed by injection molding. Each surface is handcrafted into unique combination of colors and patterns. It is 100% compostable when it is no longer in use. 

Unpack Less, Peel More

Elena Amato is a designer from Guatemala currently living in Brazil. She is passionate about circular design, developing materials using biofabrication and thinking about creative applications for them. In 2019 she founded Ponto Biodesign, a biofabrication lab and design studio, where she has created sheets of bacterial cellulose with paper-like qualities as a sustainable alternative to the plastic packaging used in personal care products.

The dried bacterial cellulose material can be glued together using water, eliminating the need to use glues or other adhesives when sealing the packaging. Natural pigments such as spirulina, hibiscus, saffron and charcoal are added to the mixture during the blending process to achieve different colours.

In addition to these qualities, the low-tech manufacturing process has a minimal level of energy consumption, and Elena Amato envisions it being made locally to generate jobs in the area as well as eliminating the need to transport raw materials from far away.

The journey of a shrimp shell

THE SHELLWORKS makes home-compostable materials from seafood waste that degrade in just 4-6 weeks. After the product life-cycle the material will start degrading when placed in earth and even acts as a natural fertilizer for plants.

They developed a range of products for their clients such as candle containers, plant pots, films, and plinths. Also, they license their technology to companies who want to manufacture products on their own.

SHELLWORKS’ FAQ site explains more about this fascinating approach.

We are LABVA!

LABVA stands for Laboratorio de Biomateriales de Valdivia (Chile) which is an independent, self organized community group. Together they go out in nature to study plants & natural materials and experiment creating new biomaterials by developing kitchen recipes or growing them.

But the enthusiastic people involved in this admirable initiative do even more than designing new biomaterials. They have a holistic vision: In today’s world we often are disconnected from a product’s origin and its possible impact on the environment. So LABVA’s approach is about reconnecting with nature and the local culture and build an awareness, emotional binding and cultural identity with materials and their use.

The key to LABVA’s success is connecting people locally, experimenting playfully and teaching children. Because it is our children who will shape the culture of the world of tomorrow!

Aqua Faba Foam

Material Designer Paula Nerlich is developing a bioplastic based on aquafaba from chickpeas as part of her research into circular, compostable biomaterials. 

The material, which is currently under development, shows great potential for mechanical manufacturing and thus for industrial production. The biomaterial varies in color from cream white to pink and changes its color over time. However, it can be dyed with natural or food colors. The structure can be flexible or hard, the recipe is adaptable. The biomaterial is completely vegan and biodegradable. Compostability is currently being tested. 

The temporary nature of biodegradable biomaterials reminds us of the flow of nature and makes us appreciate the quality of impermanence. The transience of the materials has the potential to create a higher value in the end product, while also emphasizing the circular nature of the material. 

Junior Changemakers

Dopper, a Dutch Social Enterprise selling reusable water bottles, is on a mission towards a world with crystal clear water in every ocean and from every tap. Therefore, they launch initiatives like the Dopper Changemaker Challenge Junior, which is an international competition for children aged 8 to 12 that challenges them to develop solutions to single-use plastic pollution in our oceans. 

Children have unlimited imagination and creativity, which – if guided well – can lead to brilliant solutions. It is important that children learn that their input is valued and taken seriously. The international competition – held in UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Nepal – is both accessible for teachers, who can take part with their pupils, and for children independently. Provided educational materials are designed specifically to guide them through every step on their way leading to genius solutions! Children can upload their sketches on the Dopper website where  they have a platform they deserve to display their ideas and solutions. Also, a winner is announced by a jury and together a prototype of their solution is built and displayed in public. The initiative supports teachers‘ learning objectives and at the same time children get the chance to grow and expand their skill set. They develop their creativity, collaboration skills and readiness to deal with complex futures and embrace a changemaker attitude.

PLANT plASTIC!

Cinzia Ferrari’s PLANT plASTIC! is a fantastic packaging material that doesn’t contain any toxic ingredient and that doesn’t become waste: Instead, at the end of its use it takes a new life form by growing into a house plant. 

Packaging is not a passive dead matter anymore. It is alive and contributes to a better environment: By growing into a plant, CO2 is absorbed from the air and single-use packaging consumption is reduced as the user will grow fresh products as tomatoes that are normally sold wrapped in plastic. The material is made of sodium alginate, plant seeds and Azospirillum Brasilense, which is a soil bacteria harmless to us humans and because of its nitrogen-fixing property promotes plant growth. For this reason this bacteria is well known as biofertilizer.

The packaging made of this material is dry and organically inactive but alive.  It will become active again only when it is planted into soil. For this reason, Azospirillum Brasilense won’t contaminate any packaged product.

Cinzia’s motto is that in terms of design efficiency we should pay closer attention to nature. We need lightness in materials which not only means less matter but more efficiency: products need to sense and respond to changes in the environment.

The project has been inspired by group work and experiments done during the MA Biodesign at Central Saint Martins in collaboration with Emily Roscoe, Meiqi Peng, Moises Hernandez and Paula Camiña.

Choose the Reusable Cup

In Bulgarian public kindergartens, children between 3-7 years drink water almost exclusively from disposable plastic cups. As a result, the annual plastic waste equals 240 000 000 cups, weights 550 tons and would cover half of the Earth’s Equator, if wasted cups were arranged in a line. This is an extreme case of throw-away culture that is being imprinted into children’s perceptions as a norm. From economic standpoint, the produced waste costs Bulgarian citizens between 3 000 000 - 3 500 000 €/year. 

The “Choose the Reusable Cup” project started as a local community initiative in a state kindergarten in the town of Varna, Bulgaria. Sabina Maksimova, a mother of two, proposed a solution: a reusable metal cup, engraved with a unique symbol for each child. Later, this community initiative received the support of a local ecology organization – Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development. Currently, the project has the ambitious task to reach parent communities across the whole country. 

The mission of “Choose the Reusable Cup” project is to change perceptions and consumption norms, so that caring about the environment and healthy living will be more valued than the few-seconds convenience of the disposable container.

Think outside the box

Coolpaste is a sustainable packaging design that literally thinks outside the box. The designer Allan Gomes gave birth to an eco-friendly alter ego of our trusty old toothpaste.

The tube is made of impermeable cardboard and the cap is made of biodegradable Polylactide (PLA), a bioplastic derived from renewable resources such as corn starch, tapioca roots or sugarcane. The Coolpaste tube itself has a tab to hang it in the Point-Of-Sale shelf. This makes an outside packaging obsolete resulting in being lighter for transport, reducing waste and creating a unique branding. This smart eco-design solves logistical and environmental issues for global toothpaste brands.

Do you want to share your personal story for a a world with less plastic?

Drop us a message and then let’s talk over a cup of coffee.