Piloting Project ReDesign

We arrive at Burlington Danes Academy, a large secondary school opposite the BBC in White City, as the stragglers rush through the school gates to get to class on time.

Here to pilot our ideas for Project ReDesign, a series of hands-on workshops aimed at inspiring young people to re-think the future. We’re all slightly nervous. It’s the first time we will have tested our ideas with the target audience.

Forty sixth form students from four schools – Burlington Danes Academy, Thomas Deacon Academy, Newstead Wood School for Girls, and Mulberry School for Girls – are due within the next hour.
They arrive confident and keen to get started. Ellen steps up and we begin. Immediately it’s clear that they’re interested. With no signs of absent minds or fidgeting limbs, they’re really focused on what she’s saying – a new framework for a sustainable future, closed loop thinking, eliminating waste….

 

Ellen chatting to students from Thomas Deacon Academy

She shows them a plastic bag. “What happens to it when it’s thrown away?” she asks. “In fact where is away? And what happens to the bag?” Virtually non-biodegradable, often un-recyclable and clogging up landfill sites across the world, plastic is a classic example of toxic waste and loss of valuable energy and resources, in a wasteful linear system. She tells them about the millions of tonnes of plastic waste just floating around in the sea, she’s seen it! They know it too, they’re bright students.

What comes next though takes them by surprise. Ellen drops the plastic bag into water. She invites them all to do the same with the duplicate set of props on their table. In front of their eyes the bag gently dissolves. Because this isn’t a plastic bag at all, it’s actually a Harmless-Dissolve bag – a readily biodegradable, water soluble polymer, three times stronger than polythene and which completely biodegrades in a composting environment, in a dishwasher or in a washing machine. It has no harmful residues and will biodegrade into naturally occurring substances.

Why can’t all bags be made like this? And if we can re-think the way we design and manufacture bags, why can’t we do this for other products? These questions clearly resonate with the students. This simple demonstration gets them discussing enthusiastically. This enthusiasm continues throughout the day as they move onto other activities, culminating in some of the students presenting their work to the rest of the group.

It was a fascinating experience and, thanks to the constructive feedback from the students who took part in the pilot, we’re confident that we will deliver something new, thought-provoking and exciting at the first workshop in Glasgow on 1 March 2011.

Disclaimer: Some images hosted on this blog have been collected from external research associates to be presented as stimulus to those seeking news from the cutting edge of packaging. The imagery is not being presented as our own and copyright still belongs to the owner/creator of said work.

The latest in flat pack - Lamp Shades

Looking to replace your harsh and unflattering lighting fixtures, but don’t wanna spend heavily on sleek and luxurious lampshades, Berlin-based Formfjord has come up with an economical yet creative lamp shade dubbed the “New Flat” that other than decorating your place also helps in sustaining the environment. Made using a flat pack cardboard box, the lampshade elegantly encloses your energy efficient bulb to create a soft illumination.

Easy to assemble, the sustainable lampshade doesn’t require a screwdriver or any other equipment. The New Flat can be used both as a temporary fixture and a permanent shade according to the taste of the user. Moreover, it can be folded into an A4 envelope for easy storage and transportation. In case, you are not comfortable with cardboard shades and want something sleek and durable, Formfjord also presents a wider array of modern lighting and lampshades to meet the decor of trendy spaces.

 Disclaimer: Some images hosted on this blog have been collected from external research associates to be presented as stimulus to those seeking news from the cutting edge of packaging. The imagery is not being presented as our own and copyright still belongs to the owner/creator of said work.

Meat Packaging

"Designing a line of packaging for meat products marketed by the El Gaucho restaurant chain. The butcher's block and knife were the iconic images for this project, showing the beginning of the journey towards a juicy, premium steak. In the design concept, we chose to show the world of meat and its culinary environment rather than showcasing the cut of meat itself. As a customer, all that was left to do was trust the brand, which has the ability to convey values of quality and flavor, and to rely on the subtle seasoning that is characteristic of the meat, however it is served." Designed by Blendit.

Disclaimer: Some images hosted on this blog have been collected from external research associates to be presented as stimulus to those seeking news from the cutting edge of packaging. The imagery is not being presented as our own and copyright still belongs to the owner/creator of said work.

New wrapping paper ideas.

Check these out. Seriously cool gift wrapping paper from Happy F&B.

 Disclaimer: Some images hosted on this blog have been collected from external research associates to be presented as stimulus to those seeking news from the cutting edge of packaging. The imagery is not being presented as our own and copyright still belongs to the owner/creator of said work.

T-Shirt Boxes

We liked them - check these out...

 
Designed by Karoly Kiralyfalvi

Disclaimer: Some images hosted on this blog have been collected from external research associates to be presented as stimulus to those seeking news from the cutting edge of packaging. The imagery is not being presented as our own and copyright still belongs to the owner/creator of said work.