Tag Archives: recyclable

Unilever is working on a 100% recyclable toothpaste tube… here’s what it means for the environment

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Unilever 100% Recyclable Toothpaste Tube

The Multi-national FMCG giant plans to convert its entire global toothpaste portfolio to recyclable tubes by 2025, starting with France and India – its two largest markets.

The problem with toothpaste is that there’s hardly any socially acceptable alternative to it. Sure, you could ditch bottled water and straws in a bid to save the environment. You could swear off Coca-Cola *wink-wink Ronaldo* because it’s the world’s biggest plastics polluter. You could even ditch plastic toothbrushes for recycled/bamboo ones… but how do you avoid toothpaste? There isn’t really a concrete, well-accepted alternative to it, and given how toothpaste is something the entire world uses at least once every day, it just results in thousands of tonnes of waste every year in the form of discarded toothpaste tubes. (1.5 billion tubes each year globally, according to some reports)

Unilever seems to be taking heed of this burgeoning waste problem, and after 4 years of research and development, is launching their first entirely recyclable toothpaste tube. Traditionally, toothpaste tubes have been made out of plastic, with an inner aluminum lining, to give it flexibility while keeping it food-safe and allowing it to have a higher shelf life. Unilever’s latest toothpaste tube will be made almost entirely out of HDPE – one of the most recyclable plastics there is. “It will also be the thinnest plastic material available on the toothpaste market at 220-microns, which will reduce the amount of plastic needed for each tube. To encourage wider industry change, the innovation will be made available for other companies to adopt”, mentions Unilever’s website.

Unilever 100% Recyclable Toothpaste Tube

Recycling HDPE is rather simple and can (on a basic level) even be done by consumers. However, Unilever’s approach will involve a much more robust supply and recycling chain. Not only are the tubes designed to be recyclable, but Unilever also claims it is working with multiple global recycling organizations to help ensure that the new tubes are collected and recycled; starting with France, where consumers can put the new tubes in their home recycling bin ready to be collected and turned into new products. The pilot project will begin with France, being implemented with Unilever’s oral-care brand Signal, and will make its way to India by the end of the year with Pepsodent and CloseUp, the company’s India-based brands. Samir Singh, Executive Vice President, Global Skin Cleansing and Oral Care said that Unilever will commit to ensuring that Unilever’s entire toothpaste portfolio shifts to the recyclable tubes by 2025.

Designer: Unilever

Similar Innovations


This tube of ‘Coolpaste’ comes in a paper tube, instead of the traditional plastic tube + paper box.

This unique marbled speaker’s made from non-recyclable plastic waste.

These TWS Earphones are solving the tech waste crisis with removable replaceable batteries

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Watch any AirPods teardown video and there’s one thing you’ll quickly notice. There’s no way you can put it back together once you’ve disassembled it. The damned things are hermetically sealed shut, and opening them means damaging them. In fact, Apple doesn’t even fix AirPods that come to them for servicing. The design is so notoriously un-fixable that it’s actually cheaper for Apple to replace them with a new pair.

Now that problem isn’t unique to Apple. Almost every single TWS earphone faces the same issue. Designed to be small, these earphones have absolutely tiny batteries that don’t last beyond a year, and their small bodies/components are almost always fused/glued together with no intention of ever being separated for repair or even recycling. The result is an overwhelming wave of tiny electronics that can’t be reused and can’t be disassembled and disposed of safely. They’re made of metal and plastic, which won’t biodegrade, and even contain toxic lithium-ion batteries within them.

To overcome this problem, the NOVO TWS earphones have a unique and clever compromise. Microphones, speaker drivers, and SOCs (system on chips) are usually designed to last 4-5 years, whereas those batteries go dead within a year or 18 months. The NOVO earbuds just turn the batteries into a modular unit that can easily be replaced… a feature you’d see in old mobile phones before they began becoming sealed, unibody devices. Unlike phones, however, these battery modules are designed to sit on the outside, and come in a variety of colors with ornamental patterns, adding a fashionable flair to the earphones. Every few years when the batteries wear out, you can simply switch the modules for new ones, choosing from a variety of colors and textures to ‘upgrade’ your earbuds. The old batteries get swapped in at the company which provides a discount on the new batteries, closing the loop and creating a circular economy where batteries are recycled and perfectly capable tech doesn’t enter a landfill because one single part was designed to go prematurely obsolete.

Designer: Batu Sozen

This fully 3D printed shoe by the edgy brand SCRY is a shoe you can completely recycle

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It’s perfectly fine to consider 3D printing as the future of shoemaking. While companies such as Adidas are leading the path; smaller, futuristic units are making inroads with their own idea of a 3D printed shoe that looks right out of a sci-fi flick. Case in point is the Shuttle “Shadow” by SCRY – a black silhouette, which at the first glance appears aerodynamically-inspired by a racecar.

Funded in the year of the pandemic, SCRY has announced its first 3D printed shoe that utilizes Digital Embryo – an integrated printing process – to realize a digital sneaker that is assembled without unnecessary material waste or lengthy assembly line. The experimental sneaker is a result of almost two years of design, research, and experimentation, which the company says, pioneers an “innovative, sustainable, and personalized future” of the footwear industry.

Interestingly, the completely 3D printed Shuttle “Shadow” is created in one one-piece contoured design in black color. Its unique appearance is complemented by a midsole filled with an innovative lattice structure for a soft, cushiony feel. Made without wasting any material in construction, the silhouette also makes recycling more convenient than possible with traditional sneakers. The Shuttle “Shadow” is expected to go on sale on January 31 for an asking price of $650. If you have that kind of cash to spare for a pair of sneakers, order today, and have them delivered uniquely numbered and with your name hand-printed on its box!

Designer: SCRY

Bubble tea lovers finally get a reusable straw that opens up for easy cleaning!

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If you are someone using plastic straws in 2020, you need to look up photos of baby turtles and imagine how they feel with plastic in their stomach. Scientists estimate 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the coastlines around the world. So our plastic pollution problem is pretty huge and to be specific how huge, the Great Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean is twice the size of Texas. Let’s start making a difference by decreasing single-use plastic usage – one of them being straws!

One bubble straw is designed using 100% recyclable material and is specially created for being bubble-tea friendly. I haven’t seen a paper or metal straw that is wide enough for bubble tea which makes it harder for that demographic to make the switch but not anymore. This straw by Green One has 1.3 cm diameter and measures 21 cm length. What makes it stand apart is that you can actually open it up to clean it and you don’t require any brushes! The design team wanted to create an alternative to the existing eco-friendly straws which was easier to use not only in terms of cleaning but also in piercing the drink – paper straws are too soft and metal straws are too hard. The straw is also super lightweight and wide enough to slurp up the bubble tea pearls which most existing reusable straws don’t accommodate for.

If you don’t want to rinse it by hand, you can simply put it in the dishwasher for cleaning. One bubble straw is made from 100% recyclable food-safe TPE which can be further recycled whenever you are done with it. This is the first step to decrease your single-use plastic consumption tremendously. It is eco-friendly, non-toxic, anti-dust, tasteless, and safe for use in hot and cold drinks. Green One is an HK based company dedicated to developing sustainable products and it shows in the straws packaging as well – it is made from eco-friendly paper with soy ink! Apart from creating alternatives, the brand is also organizing a ‘One Straws’ recycling program where the public can bring their used reusable straws to be cleaned before they are sent to recycling factories in order to educate people and help them reduce waste.

Designer: Green One HK

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Sustainable rice packaging becomes an artistic tissue box in afterlife

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The Srisangdao rice grows in Thailand in a controlled environment and every year only a limited quality is produced. Because of how special the rice is, the environment where it grows and how it is stored is given the utmost care making sure there are no chemicals hampering the quality. To showcase Thung Kula Ronghai’s efforts of growing this gorgeous grain, a designer reimagined the packaging as a tribute to the process with a purpose that went beyond preserving rice.

The packaging is created using chaffs, a natural waste product from husking, which very literally incorporates the process which the designers wanted to celebrate through this product. The box has simple yet meaningful art surrounding the Srisangdao rice – it is die-formed with an oversized rice grain embossed on it which is the main artistic element. The grain graphic is complemented with wave-like lines and smaller embossed design of the crop in full bloom. The designer has also burn-stamped the logo of the rice mill from the Thung Kula Ronghai region on the box. A thoughtful detail that really completes the picture is the rice inside comes in a miniature sack just like the traditional one. All these pieces put together truly bring out the different elements of the rice’s identity and lifecycle.

What makes this organic packaging more interesting is the fact that it can be used as a tissue box after it has served its purpose of storing rice. It is completely eco-friendly as well as recyclable and generates minimal production waste. To see how a simple rice packaging can completely be reimagined and redesigned to tell a story while still providing value after its main job is done is an inspiration to continue being creative.

Designer: Somchana Kangwarnjit

Cup Noodles made eco-friendly with this 100% paper packaging design!

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Who doesn’t love a cup of steamy instant noodles? And who hates the fact that the container is so toxic? Low-quality plastic and harmful polystyrene make the cup that holds your noodles – and we all know what happens when heat and plastic mix. The packaging is not only bad for the environment but can leave minuscule toxic residue in your noodles which can be dangerous for your health, especially if you consume them often as these particles build up in your system over time.

A study shows that in 2018 alone 103 billion packets of instant noodles were sold worldwide. The global demand for it is soaring because it is easy to cook, saves time and is budget-friendly which makes it extremely popular among young people. You can imagine the waste produced by 103 billion packets and cups so we as a society must strive to create a sustainable future by tackling the packaging challenges of one of the world’s biggest industries.

Fortunately, we have an answer – 100% paper noodle packaging created by Australian student Emily Enrica. Her design is called Paper Noodle which will stick in your memory because it is so easy. Her packaging is made from paper pulp which is 100% biodegradable, recyclable, microwave safe and FDA tested food safe. The design of the box is ergonomic which makes it comfortable to hold even when the contents inside are hot. The belly band of the box is made of debossed paper pulp too. It comes with a cover label that keeps the noodles sealed. Even the spoon is made of paper pulp further reducing waste. Now that is a cup of noodles – serves you and the environment!

Designer: Emily Enrica

A sustainable takeout box to save 500 years of recycling styrofoam!

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In 2017 while I was living in California, the local government made the laws around using styrofoam (polystyrene) even more strict and all restaurants around my office stopped doing take-outs for a short while due to lack of a better alternative for the cheap boxes – just one example of how dependent we are as a society on styrofoam that we are turning a blind eye to its toxic effects. Designer Ross Dungan wants to solve this problem with a creative solution without destroying the cultural icon – the clamshell takeout box – of the Netflix generation.

Styrofoam has a 24-hour lifespan but it is formed with materials that can last for 500 years, can you imagine the landfills at the rate we consume this product? “We need to stop and think about the environmental costs of our lifestyle,” says Dungan when talking about the notoriously single-use packaging that has been adopted worldwide. The box itself is so widely recognized that is has transcended continents and languages, so Dungan’s design aims to leverage its easy recall value while delivering a stronger message on sustainable living.

The product is rightly called Leftovers and hopes to be a design that disrupts normalization of polystyrene before it can become a mass-scale direct solution to the problem, the first step is to educate. For convenience and functionality, it is also dishwasher safe and recyclable. The redesigned box has a stainless steel body that enhances its functionality as a reusable food container while also bringing attention to how one small change can reduce the amount in our trash can. This visible change on an individual level can lead to a positive change in behavior without feeling like it was a drastic turn from what the general society is used to – this makes it easier to adapt to new habits quicker.

Designer: Ross Dungan.

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Lifestyledesign Inc. needs an Industrial Designer!

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Founded in 2001, Lifestyledesign Inc. is a pre-eminent Industrial Design agency located in Santa Barbara, California. Their capabilities span the development process, from project inception to the production and implementation of world-class products and brands. Their passion is the design and development of impactful product solutions that resonate culturally and emotionally with target audiences. Having worked with almost 200+ clients such as Adidas, Microsoft, Nike, and Harman, to just name a few, Lifestyledesign focuses on contributing a thorough, concise understanding of user lifestyles and needs, market positioning, and brand awareness to the design/development process. Their clients invariably rely on their ability to apply design thinking, innovation, ID strategy, product development, line planning, branding, and new opportunity roadmaps. Apply now to be a part of this breakthrough environment!

The Fluidstance Plane® Cloud is a balance board, conceived to enhance the benefits of a standing desk by keeping the legs and lower body in motion without being a distraction. Lifestyledesign created it using 100% recycled materials.

The Opportunity

Are you tired of the corporate grind or of working in dull product categories? Do you want to work on exciting projects with a great team, in a great location? Lifestyledesign is growing and they are looking for talented and passionate designers to join their team. Exciting projects and great clients await you at Lifestyledesign in sunny Santa Barbara, CA. Their success stems from their passion for world-class design, their easy-going personalities and their ability to crush deadlines both individually and as teams. Lifestyledesign delivers strategy, innovation, and design across a broad range of categories for leading brands with a primary focus on lifestyle, outdoor, wearable technology, sports, fashion, and CE. And they need an Industrial designer to help them out!

Requirements

• 3-5+ years of experience with a degree in Industrial Design and a love for design
• The ability to understand complex problems and develop coherent and compelling design strategies.
• A deep understanding of innovation processes, lateral thinking, and new idea creation
• Ability to develop leading, relevant and inspiring design solutions
• Advanced 3D modeling and visualization skills (high-level surfacing of complex forms)
• Inspiring 2D skills via sketching, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. (ability to communicate effectively via digital sketching and composites)
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, both hard and soft goods
• Ability to think strategically and integrate with business units
• A fresh, original portfolio of diverse creative work
• A self-managing, motivated and entrepreneurial nature
• Ability to work collaboratively and with development teams
• Understanding of global trends, technology, and fashion
• Sense of humor
• Positive outlook

Benefits

Lifestyledesign offers attractive compensation packages along with comprehensive employee benefits including:

• Major medical insurance
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Paid holidays
• Paid time-off program
• Performance-based Bonuses

How to Apply

International candidates must hold a valid US working visa. They will not consider candidates without a valid US working visa. To apply, please send your resume, portfolio and/or links to your work to marc@lifestyledesign.com. Please make sure to include the Job Title in the subject (Industrial designer). It shouldn’t exceed 5 megabytes.

Location

Santa Barbara, California.

Click here to Apply Now! 

Check out all the latest design openings on Yanko Design Job Board

Adidas made a running shoe that’s fully recyclable

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As part of its recent pledge to only use recycled plastics by 2024, Adidas has revealed a new running shoe that is made from 100 percent recyclable materials. The Futurecraft Loop was designed using nothing but thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a pla...