Bees+Pineapple+Butterflies=Yogurtcup?

LefttoRight:KaylaMurphy,TaylorMcClintic,BecaParra

[Link]
todothisbycreatinganewpackagingdesignforaneverydayfood:[Link]
wewantedtofindawaytosolvepackaginganissuewesawasinherentlyevil.
Howeverwesoonlearnedthatpackingingeneralisn'ttoblameforalloftheissuesour
foodsystemhas,[Link]
sustainable,environmentallyfriendlymaterialcouldaidinresolvinganumberofissues.
Wenoticedyogurtcupswereofteninconvenientlyshaped,makingithardforthe
[Link]
[Link]
wastedbydoingthis,andthatthatsmallamountoffoodcouldn'tpossiblymatterinthe
grandschemeofthings,butitdoes.

Scoping
Ourscopingprocessbeganwithadesiretocreatepackagingthatwasgoodfor
[Link]
[Link]
decomposecausingittositinlandfillstakingupspace.Styrofoamdoesntdegradefor1
millionyearsormorewhichissubstantiallylongerthanotherresourcessuchas:plastic
bagswhichcantakeanywherefrom20to1,000yearsorevendisposablediapersthat
[Link]
[Link]
tofindawaytomakethewidelyusedpackagingbetter,findsomethingthatcouldbean
insulator,durable,lightweight,[Link]
alsohadthedesiretomakesomethingthatcouldpotentiallybeusedinSubSaharan
Africaandotherdesolateplaceswheremajorityoftheirfoodislosttospoilagebecause
ofalackofabilitytoinsulatethatfoodsothatitmaybekeptfresh.

Webegantoresearchdifferentanimalsandplantsthatcouldhelpustoserve
[Link]
[Link]
polarbears,cariboubecauseoftheirlayerofdownfurtokeepthemwarmand
insulated,wealsofoundsomeplantsthatcreateablanketofsortstokeepthingswarm.
Wecontinuedtoresearchandbegantorealizethatwewerelookingatatopicthat
couldbevastlybeneficialbutmayhavebeentoolargeforthreehighschooljuniorsto
[Link]
takealotoftimeandmoneytocreateanalternativesoitwasveryfaroutofourreach.
Wesatdowntogetherandbegantothinkaboutwhatwereallywantedtoachieve:
[Link].
Whatpackagingusesalotofpackagingorleadstoalotofwaste?Wecameupwith
[Link].

Wechooseyogurtcupsbecausetheyareoftenshapedinsuchawaythatyou
[Link]
[Link]
thesmallerthepackagethelargerthemixofplasticismakingitthatmuchworseofthe
[Link]
recyclecausingtobesimplythrowninthetrashandlefttositinlandfillsmoreoftenthan
not.
Polypropeneisathermoplasticpolymerusedinawidevarietyofapplications
includingpackagingandlabeling,textiles(e.g.,ropes,thermalunderwearandcarpets),
stationery,plasticpartsandreusablecontainersofvarioustypes,laboratoryequipment,
loudspeakers,automotivecomponents,[Link]

iswidelyusedandisveryversatileitcoulduseimprovementorreplacementmuchlike
mostoftheplasticsusedallovertheworld.
Wedecidedthatwewouldneedtoredesign
theshapeandmaterialtoreducewasteonbothsidesofthespectrum.

Yogurtcupsandothersingleservingpackagesareimportanttoconsider
replacingformanyreasonsoneis:Theenergythatgoesintopackagingmakesupjust
10%ofthetotalenergythatgoesintoproducing,transporting,storingandpreparing
[Link],itcanhaveamajorpositive
impactontheenvironment."andalsoFoodleftbehindinjarsandbottlesaccountsfora
[Link],
[Link],thispackaging
[Link],anindependent
consultantwhospecializesinfoodwasteandsustainablepackaging,estimatesthatfive
tosevenpercentofviscousfoodproductsaretypicallyleftinemptycontainers,even
[Link],Butlersays,iseasilygreater
thanthenegativeimpactofthepackagingitself.
Sizeandmaterialaretwoofthe
biggestfactorsforre
cyclability:ingeneral,thesmallerapackageandthegreateritsmix
ofmaterials,[Link]
sleek,recyclablecontainersaresustainable,expertsnotethatsingleservingfoods,
includingyogurtandcoffeecups,[Link]
thecaseofyogurtcups,difficulttorecycleplastictendtomakethematoughsellfor
recyclers.

Oncewenarroweditdowntoyogurtcupswehadtodecidewhatwasimportant,
asIpreviouslysaid,[Link]
[Link]
thematerialweneededsomethingthatwouldbehydrophobic,oleophobic,
[Link]
importantbecauseoverall,Americansrecycleatthelowrateof34.5%andrecycle
plasticpackagingattheevenlowerrateof14%.Sothemajorityofthatfoodpackaging
isendingupinlandfills,oronthestreetastrash,whereitmayeventuallygetsweptinto
[Link],ourwrappersandcansandcupsbecomeamuchbiggerproblem
a
directthreat
tomarinelifethatmayingestitanddie.

[Link]
[Link],
(PolyethyleneTerephthalate
recyle#1)atfirstseemedlikeaviablesource,butuponfurtherdiggingwefound
[Link],itswhatmostplasticbottles
usedforholdingbeverages(likewater,soda,juice,etc.),containersusedforpackaging

food(likepeanutbutter,saladdressings,oils,etc.),householdcleanersandcosmetics
[Link]
recyclable,butonlyabout25%[Link]'srecycledtheplastic
[Link],thereareseveral
[Link],AlthoughdoesnotcontainBPAorPhthalates,it
[Link]
additiontothat,althoughit'srecyclableItisintendedforsingleuseapplications
[Link]
todecontaminate,[Link]
terephthalatesmayleachcarcinogens.([Link])Whatoncewasourfront
[Link],ifitseemedgood
itprobablyhadsometoxicordangerousprocessorchemicalhiddenintheprocess,or
wantsdurableenough,orinsulated,or,likemostofthebestoptionswecouldfind,
[Link]
materialtaughtusalotaboutwhatkindofchemicalsareinorpackaginganditseffects
[Link]
products.

Scopingforuswasacomplexprocessbutitendedupleadingusintoaterritory
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
scopingprocessthatbeganwithalargewebofpossibilitiesturnedintoonenarrowed
[Link]
consideringthatwechangedourtopicwhichIbelievewillhelpushaveaprojectthat
coversmanydifferentaspectsofthepackaging.

Nature's10UnifyingPatterns

Outofnature's10unifyingpatternswechosetohaveourproductfocusonNature's10
patterns
:
Thepatternsfromnaturewechosetoapplytoourtopicare:
Naturerecyclesallmaterials.
Natureuseschemistryandmaterialsthataresafeforlivingbeings.
Natureusesshapetodeterminefunctionality.

Natureuseschemistryandmaterialsthataresafeforlivingbeings
[Link]
[Link]
PEThadbeenoneofthematerialswewereconsideringbecausetheresearchwehad
donethusfarsaidit'sgreatforrecyclingandreusing,itevencameuponlistsofthe
[Link]
havetobeusedonitinorderforittoberescuedandthatitleakstoxicsubstances
[Link]
[Link]
withouttheuseofharshchemicalsissomethingthatwefeltwasimportantnotonlyfor
thisproject,[Link]
boastitsenvironmentallyfriendlyqualitieslikerecyclability,yetthatveryproductuses
harshanddangerouschemicalsthatnotonlyhurttheenvironment,butalsoconsumers.
Whilelookingintobiodegradableandrecyclablematerialsthatcouldbeusedwehit
[Link]'[Link]
everymateriallookedgoodatfirstbutcontainedamajorflawliketheuseoftoxic
chemicalssomewhereintheprocessofitscreationorrecycling

Natureusesshapetodeterminefunctionality.
Theshapeoftheyogurtcupisoneofthemostimportantcomponentsofour
[Link],thisallowsforthecupstotessellate
[Link]
cupisinspiredbythepitcherplant/[Link]
[Link]
meanslessyogurtwillendupbeingtossedoutwhentheusedcan'treachitorscrapeit
[Link]/
corners.Thecupcontainsno90degreeangles,minimizingthelikelihoodoffoodgetting
stuckinthecornersofthecup,furtherreducingfoodwaste.

Naturerecyclesallmaterials.
Somethingthatwasimportanttousfromthebeginningoftheprojectwas
[Link]
ontheenvironmentbybeingattheleastrecyclable,[Link]
leadustoresearchonplastics,[Link]
lotabouttherecyclabilityofsomeproducts.

[Link]
andifso,[Link],thatdoesn'tmean
youcanjusttossitintherecyclingafteryou'[Link]

tobetakendirectlytoarecyclingplantthattreats/processesmaterialswiththat
[Link]'[Link]
[Link],which
[Link]'trecycleisiftheydon'tknowwhere
somethingisrecyclable,theyarelikelytojusttossitinthetrash.

Throughresearchwealsolearnedthatabout85%ofplasticsarenotrecycledinthe
[Link],[Link]
issuecouldbehelpedbyutilizingmorebiodegradablematerials,decreasingthenumber
[Link]
percentofplasticthatisrecycledcanberaisedbybettermarkingpackagesthatare
[Link]'tknowwhethersomethingisrecyclableandoften
[Link]
recyclable,peoplewouldbemorelikelytodisposeofitproperlyespeciallyifthe
packingfeaturesacoolandeyecatchingdesignthatengagestheconsumer,and
highlightsitsrecyclability

Natureuseschemistryandmaterialsthataresafeforlivingbeings.
[Link]
[Link]
PEThadbeenoneofthematerialswewereconsideringbecausetheresearchwehad
donethusfarsaidit'sgreatforrecyclingandreusing,itevencameuponlistsofthe
[Link]
havetobeusedonitinorderforittoberescuedandthatitleakstoxicsubstances
[Link]
[Link]
withouttheuseofharshchemicalsissomethingthatwefeltwasimportantnotonlyfor
thisproject,[Link]
boastitsenvironmentallyfriendlyqualitieslikerecyclability,yetthatveryproductuses
harshanddangerouschemicalsthatnotonlyhurttheenvironment,butalsoconsumers.
Whilelookingintobiodegradableandrecyclablematerialsthatcouldbeusedwehit
[Link]'[Link]
everymateriallookedgoodatfirstbutcontainedamajorflawliketheuseoftoxic
chemicalssomewhereintheprocessofitscreationorrecycling

Inspiration
Butterflies:
[Link]
[Link],

[Link]
waterbydecreasingtheamountofcontactithaswiththesurface,preventingitfrom
flatteningandformingperfectsphericaldropletsofwaterthateasilyrolloffofthewing.
It'[Link]
[Link]
wateritalsokeepsthewingsclean,dirtonthewingisremovedbythewaterdroplets
[Link].

Wewantedourdesigntobehydrophobic,[Link]
createanonsticksurfacethatwouldcauseyogurttorunrightdownthesidesofour
[Link]
foodthatiswastedandthrownoutbecauseit'[Link]
propertiesofthewingsareafairlyrecentdiscoveryandhavebeendeemedoneofthe
mosthydrophobicsurfaces,makingitoneofthebestcandidatesforourcupsinterior.

Pineapples,Bromeliads,andPitcherPlants:
Pineapplesarepartofthebromeliad
[Link]
[Link]
centeroftheplant,whichisoftenreferredtoasawatertank.

Bees:
[Link]
[Link]
togetherperfectlyitwouldtakeextraeffortandmaterialtopatchtheholesinorderto
createastablewallconfiguration.Thereareonly3shapesthatfittogetherperfectly
(witheachother)onaflatplane:equilateraltriangles,Squaresrectangles,and
[Link].

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
whywechosetomaketheexteriorofthecupahexagonalprism,sotransportationand
storageiseasyanddoesn'tleavelotsofspaceemptyspacelikemostofthedesigns
usedforyogurtcupsyouseeinstores.

BusinessCase
Forourproductweplantomakesomethingthathasahexagonalshapesothat
[Link]
itsomorecouldfitononetruckandsofewertripshavetobemade,gaswouldbe
[Link]
andsavingmoneyfortransportcompaniesourdesignwouldhelpyogurtcompaniesto
[Link]
thatcanfittogetheranddomorewillhelpeveryonetosavemoneyandreducewaste.

Weplantomakeaplasticthatisthinbutdurablesothatwecanusetheleast
[Link]
designwouldbenefitmanypeopleandtheenvironmentbyreducingemissionsand
[Link].

Limitations
Someofthelimitationsofourdesignisthatwecouldntfindamaterialthatwould
beasufficientreplacementforpolypropylene,everythingwelookedatwaseithertoo
expensive,[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
thatpossessedthesequalitiesbutnoluckwhenitcametosearchingforaplasticor
materialthatwouldhavethesamequalities.

Wethoughtforatimethatwehadfoundamaterialthatwouldwork,synthetic
butterflywingsthatcouldbeusedforpackagingbutitendedupnotworkingbecauseit
isnotFDAapprovedanditisnotavailableforconsumers,[Link]
verylimitedinmaterialsearchanditmadeitsothatwecouldntfinishourdesignas
muchaswewouldhavelikedto.

[Link]
aspatternsandshapesthatwouldleadtoahydrophobicsurfacesuchassharkskin
whichhassmall,[Link]
syntheticversionofsharkskinthathasverysmalldiamondsonthesurfacethatare
[Link]
lovetoemploybutwedonthavetheinformationonhowtomakeamoldorproduce
[Link]

yogurtcupsotryingtofindanalternativeisachallengebecausewedonthaveafull
graspofwhatittakestodevelopthecups.

Cost
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

TeamWork
Asateamweworkedwithequalcontrolduringtheproject:givingourinputson
[Link],weallsharedourideasand
expectationsfortheentireprojectandbeganwithourscopingwherewewereableto
[Link]
wouldhavemeetingsinthebeginningofthedaytoseewhereweareatandgivesome
adviceorideasonourworkandthathelpedmakeourworkbetterandbringuscloser.

Thereweretimeswherewehadclashedandhadafewdisagreementsaboutthe
decisionsweweremakingforourdesignandresearchbutasagroupwewerealways
[Link]
projecthasbroughtustogetherandhasmadeusseeeachotherinamoreprofessional
[Link]
[Link]
professionalscenethatmostofushavenotseenbefore.

Wehavebeenabletocommunicatewitheachotherinawaywhereconflictisavoided
[Link]
[Link]
closerasagroupandwehavebeenabletogettoknowalittlebitmoreabouteach
otherinanewperspective.

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