Environmental issues occur at all stages of the products life-cycle but for different products/packaging it happens at different stages.
"no matter where in the product life-cycle the impact lies, most of the impact is
‘locked’ into the product at the design stage when materials are selected and
product performance is largely determined"
My understanding from this abstract and figure is that the design stage is where you have to take into account these four areas...
- Design for the environment - Sustainable materialsand function
- Clean Production - Reducing emissions as a result of the production on the environment - Consumer Education - Offering recycling instructions to the consumer on what to do - Waste management and Recycling - The actual breakdown/separation of the product/packaging at the end of its life-cycle so it can be recycled, minimising the waste.
Regardless of whether you choose to acknowledge this or not the environmental impact is 'locked-in' at this stage which means you cannot change it. An attempt to change this after is whats known as ‘end-of-pipe’ orientation / 'yesterdays thinking' which is certainly not efficient and increases waste.
"only a life-cycle design approach can lock in positive environmental features and lock out undesirable environmental impacts"
Therefore I see it as great importance that I cover these four areas in my design to fully tackle the undesirable environmental impacts packaging may have.
The three areas that need to be taken into account to achieve sustainable practice. Social which is consumer education, environmental which is Design for the environment ( material - The effects from sourcing, production and recycling this) and economic which is Waste management and Recycling - How the product/packaging life-cycle can be pro-longed in the consumption stage ( such as re-using it for another means or for the same)
Bet practices to design sustainably by Eric Benson
When considering the aesthetics of packaging (especially in terms of paint containers) you have to think carefully about the impact and drawbacks there might be.
The first being The Environmental issues that go hand in hand with ink printing.
The second being The Re-Use factor. If the paint container is going to be re-used as a paint container, it's unlikely that it will be containing the same colour. This means if you are implementing a refill service or recycle service for these containers there will be issues with incorrect information being displayed on the containers.
So how can we make a paint container versatile to tackle these two problems?
One solution could be a paper-slip that slides over the container. This could contain the paint information such as the colour, recycling instructions etc. This would allow an easy transition of re-use as regards to the paint container; only this slip would need to be changed. Here is an example..
The use of paper is not considered ethically green. So the use of recycled paper is a better option and there is no excuse not to use it! As the benefits state below its almost indistinguishable from virgin fiber paper and keeps paper out of over-flowing landfills.
Not all recycled paper is 100% recycled which is an issue.Tree-FreePaper is a great alternative to recycled or virgin would derived paper. It can be sourced from the parts of plants and agriculture that would otherwise go to waste such as Coffee, banana, wheat, kenaf, hemp plants and even bamboo.
Instead of printing information out onto these paper slips, information could be cut out of it to avoid the environmental impacts such as emissions and energy use. This would work as long as the colour of the over slip didn't clash with the packaging under-neath.
If avoiding ink printing isn't an option there are still things you can do to avoid the impact on the environment; using printing techniques such as Waterless Printing and Digital Printing. Both of these methods are more efficient, reduce the amuont of Volatile Organic Compounds emitted and are more cost effective compared to the traditional offset litho printing used by many companies and factories.
Seed Paper! http://seedpaper.co.uk/
Seed Paper creates unique, green and engaging print which can be planted and grown into anything from vegetables to flowers!
Is it really green?
SeedPaper is one of the greenest forms of print around.
SeedPaper is sourced entirely from post consumer waste and implanted
with seeds. All printing is done using organic inks and once planted the
paper completely biodegrades allowing the seeds to grow into beautiful
flowers or vegetables.
The Advantages of seed paper
Seeded papers are made in the UK with 100% high grade recycled paper
print process uses soy-based inks, organic pigments and unlike other companies they never radiate the paper
The paper is also incredibly versatile in that it can be cut or moulded in any shape.
Wood Pulp is a material I can say I am seriously considering using, although durability may be an issue its 100% recyclable something which cant be said for metal or plastic! If not it could definatley be a resource for transporting the paint safely.
Positives
It can be molded into any shape
It's cost effective
its 100% recyclable
Negatives
- Will it soak up the paint?
- Will it be durable enough?
Further investigation..
In 2010 Dutch designer Studio Jo Meesters experimented with the material (paper pulp) in his collection simply titled 'Pulp'. It started
as a research looking for alternative materials made out of paper waste and after adding epoxy and polyurethane ended up creating a material strong enough to hold water.
'since 2008, studio jo meesters has been working on the project
TESTLAB,
experimenting
on the rejuvenation and the reuse of discarded materials. using the
'pulp' collection as
a foundation, studio jo meesters reinvented
TESTLAB to create a series of paper furniture,
researching the
potential of paper pulp for furniture applications by upcycling
cardboard
panels and old newspapers'
The process is similar to paper mache however it is extreamly long and uses many inks/glues to create the strong water resistant coating. Due to this its not really feasible nor very green, but it's nice to know that material does have potential.
Protection is one of the few specification that is vital! the paint it's carrying is high quality and therefore as the designer it is my responsibility to see that it does get there impact free.
One innovative idea that appeared on the television show 'Dragon's Den' was a protective case designed for laptops - L.I.P.S.
The L.I.P.S technology boast a new approach to how we can package valuable items. The laptop is strapped into these suspenders which hangs freely within the case. The obvious benefit to this case is if it does happen to get knocked or banged - it's the protective case that takes the full force, the laptop is not effected or knocked about because its strapped in and not being thrown about inside.
A good idea which I think could be transferred to protecting paint pots!
The eco packaging uses the bag-in-box concept which is designed specifically for transportation and storage needs. It has a internal liner bag (similar to a Bladder) made of several layers of metallised film or other plastics, which sits inside a corrugated fiberboard box.
The GAC Group vice president commented on the subject...
"It's much more efficient, cost-effective, safe and environmentally-friendly way of transporting large volumes of liquids,"- Christer Sjödof
The Worccester Resource Echange Centre offered a wide variety of materials sources
from local factories and business's many of these were off-cuts or material
that simply was not needed.
They also had their own recycled/reclaimed paint area which you could also
purchase from. Many of these were paints that were half used or had damaged
packaging.
I came to realise that if the packaging that is used now is liable to damage
then it's going to be a tough task to make my packaging eco-friendly and
durable. There were a few bits and pieces of material I found around the WRE that
looked like they could have potential
This material looked and felt like rather hard cardboard tubes, it certainly
looked durable but the question was would it soak up the paint too much and be
damaged by it.
The WRE wasn't short on plantpots which is a great idea however the obvious downfall is the holes in the bottom, this could potentially be overcome by lining it with paper-mache.. an idea inspired from finding this lovely dress
Perhaps the secret could like in the way its packaged for transport?
Inner packaging like this Fireboard is great and will provide a fitting to slot the product straight in, allowing the outer packaging to take the damage/force. Some quick research has shown that
"cardboard takes the crown for environmental sustainability, but what
about protective qualities? Oliver Campbell, Dell’s packaging guru,
says, “If engineered correctly, a folded corrugated cushion can provide
the same protective properties as Styrofoam or bubble wrap." - Alan Fackler
Great News on the sustainability, Not to sure on the assembly of it but it can be made from recycled cardboard!
Dulux has revealed new paint packs, which it claims will reduce waste to landfill by more than 70% compared to the standard can.
It an Eco-refill 2.5litre pouch which unfortunately has little secondary use, its limited to the job refill your the tin or pallet. However there is a problem as many customers appreciate the idea of a paint tin because of their robustness, especially during transportation between store and home, and in storage. This is not robust at all and I can see many accident happening.
Although these aren't paint tins (they are eco food container), the lids could be a solution for the plastic lid/metal lids, allowing reuse over and over. they can be washed and be taken in for a refill in the tin when needed.
Eco friendly flower/plant pots!
Great idea for reusing plants as light shades - of course all shapes and sizes for different places. They can even be used as storage containers for brushes and pens.
Natural containers! This would be a great idea using wood bark, unfortunatley this is not a paint container and paint would seep through and destroy the contents.However, combined with the first idea it provides a robust shell in which a bag of paint could fit!
31 July 2013 - A new plastic paint pail developed by RPC Containers Oakham for manufacturer Newlife Paints incorporates 25% recycled content.The design – developed by RPC Oakham with UK suppliers of recycled plastics to ensure a high-grade polymer capable of withstanding the weight of paint.Tests showed that the optimum proportion of recycled polymer for the
5-litre injection moulded PP pail was 25%, in order to maintain the
highest standard of consumer functionality and convenience.
lite2go is a portable lamp that contains no packaging what so ever and can be assembled and disassembled using the pieces of the lamp to transport it safely.
Here is a comparison of the set-up between a normal light and a lite2go and its packaging.
Design to minimise the ecological footprint - The lite2go is a sustainably-designed lamp that sheds the excess of packaging by eliminating it all together. As you can see in the video the traditional lamp packaging uses cardboard, Styrofoam, plastic wraps, staples where as the lite2go has none.The lamp contains an energy saving light bulb (CFL bulb) compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. Also its light-weight encourages efficiency in shipping reducing the amount of fuel needed to transport which then gets released as gas into the air. Recycled paper label,Recycled paper manual and hemp twine have all been used - This reduces the use of raw materials which has its own effects on the environment when gathering them. Hemp twine is a natural resource to replace plastic.
the energy saving light bulb
Design to exclude the use of substances toxic or hazardous - All the components of the lamp can be disassembled and are biodegradable or recyclable. No toxic processes or chemicals are used in manufacturing. The manufacturing of the lamp is simple and all aspects of the design have been considered with sustainability in mind.
Design to maximise a product/material/service product's benefits to communities. - No packaging means less waste around the local area, plus it eliminates the need to go out and buy plastic or cardboard boxes to move or store the product.
Design to enable the separation of components of the product/material or service product at the end of life in order to encourage recycling or reuse of materials and/or components. -
All the components of the lamp can be disassembled and are biodegradable or recyclable.
Design to satisfy real needs as opposed to transient, fashionable or market-driven needs. - I dont really see this as a fashionable gimmick.The fact that it takes less time to assemble compared to a normal lamp is beneficial to everyone, It uses less energy which is saving the consumer money and its environmentally friendly.
Design to foster debate and challenge the status quo surrounding existing products/materials/ service products. -With something as simple as this utilising the packaging as part of the product, you can start to see how this technique could be employed in other products to benefit the environment. It greatly improves the experience and value of the lamp to the consumer so it is appealing. I think more people would be interested in buying a product if they knew how it could be re-used effectively. Unfortunately companies may be wary of this idea because they want people to buy more products instead of re-using to increase their income , so the initiative needs backing from the government.
convenience
All
components of the lite2go lamp can be disassembled and are
biodegradable or recyclable. No toxic processes or chemicals are used in
manufacturing of the - See more at:
http://www.knoend.com/work/lite2go/#sthash.YUoBTGEJ.dpuf
The
lite2go is a sustainably-designed lamp that sheds the excess of
packaging by eliminating it all together. - See more at:
http://www.knoend.com/work/lite2go/#sthash.YUoBTGEJ.dpuf
The
lite2go is a sustainably-designed lamp that sheds the excess of
packaging by eliminating it all together. - See more at:
http://www.knoend.com/work/lite2go/#sthash.YUoBTGEJ.dpuf
The
lite2go is a sustainably-designed lamp that sheds the excess of
packaging by eliminating it all together. - See more at:
http://www.knoend.com/work/lite2go/#sthash.YUoBTGEJ.dpuf
The
lite2go is a sustainably-designed lamp that sheds the excess of
packaging by eliminating it all together. - See more at:
http://www.knoend.com/work/lite2go/#sthash.YUoBTGEJ.dpuf
The
lite2go is a sustainably-designed lamp that sheds the excess of
packaging by eliminating it all together. - See more at:
http://www.knoend.com/work/lite2go/#sthash.YUoBTGEJ.dpuf
