CAT: Center of Alternative Technology Visit

1. Hemp and Lime insulator.
- Hemp storks act like insulators as they are full of gaps filled with air. Lime is holding the heat.
- I have seen houses (roofs and walls) made out of hemp, but not with a mixture of lime and hemp.
-(Recycled plastic wall was a good example of innovative use of materials, but I unfortunately have no pictures uploaded)

A water powered lift.
- Pumping water is the way to go up and down without any electricity needed.
- I have seen another water powered lift previously

The interior of the CAT's cafe.
- Simple interior, designed of natural colour walls and furniture.
- Smart roof window, covering the main area of the cafe.

Andy Stevenson and Jo Gwillim talking.

Workshops.
- Had a chance to see usual and unusual insulators and building materials.
- Had a chance to see and calculate how much energy they could save along with other materials, that we use nowadays (plastic, metal, etc.)
- Unfortunately it gave us an idea of housing/ building materials that save energy, and only a hint about packaging materials.

 A couple of the most interesting and curious exhibits and displays.
- From information about Zero Carbon Britain to wind seat and Mole Caves, probably anything could have been found in there.

Center of Alternative Technology

Research Task

1. London Bio Packaging: http://www.londonbiopackaging.com/

A. How many take away meals were consumed over the course of the 

games?

14.000.000 take away meals 

B. How much waste to landfill were Olympics organisers expecting to have 

to go to landfill?

8.5 000 tons

C. How'many'pieces'of'packaging'were'needed'for'the'games'and'by'

supplying'these'what'did'LBF'help'the'games'achieve?'

120.000.000 pieces. Helped achieve zero waist during the Olympic games.

D. Take'a'moment'to'look'around'their'site'further.'How'many'stages'are'

there'in'their'‘closed'loop’'system?'What'happens'at'each'stage?'

5. 

1. Supply. Arranging the audit to look at the packaging requirements and supplying with either recyclable or biodegradable products. 

2. Dispose. disposing of the item either into recycling, composting or general waste bins. 

3. Collect. LBP arranges the waste collection using either your existing waste contractor or their waste contractor. 

4. Process. The waste goes into the right facility and get recycled or composted.

5. Re-use. The compost created is used for agriculture to help grow new crops and the recycled material is reprocessed and made into new products. 

E. Look'further'around'their'site.'LBP'use'a'range'of'materials'7'what'are'

bioplastics?'Is'there'anything'that'can'explain'further'the'oil'and'carbon'

savings?'

BioPlastics, 

Plant Starch,

Sugar Bagasse,

Recycled Plastic,

Recycled Paper,

Forest Wood,

Palm Leaf.

Further oil and carbon could be completely replaced by Bioplastics, made from plants without any oil materials, this way lessening the carbon footprint and using less non-renewable energy than traditional plastics like PET.

F. What'is'PSM'and'what'are'it’s'key'properties?'

Plant Starch Material. A flexible bio based material, ideal for food industry. 

G. What'is'sugar'bagasse'and'how'might'it'be'turned'into'packaging?'

A waste material produced once sugar cane has been harvested for the sugar syrup. It is turned into packaging products from its raw form using a process of heating, pulping and then pressurised moulding. 

H. Pick'one'other'material'listed'and'explain'what'it'is'and'what'it’s'key'

properties'and'considerations'are.'

Palm Leaf. 100% natural, compostable and biodegradable - tough and heat resistant. No starch, pulp needed, it is only washed and pressed together and formed into packaging. Various colours and thickness.  

2. WRAP: http://www.wrap.org.uk/



A. Who'are'Wrap'and'what'do'they'do?'

WRAP is a company that works in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help businesses, local authorities, communities and individuals reap the benefits of reducing waste, developing sustainable products and using resources in an efficient way.


D. Look'at'section'4:'Design'for'Re7Use,'Recycling'and'Recovery.''

E. Describe'3'key'considerations'within ‘design for re-use'.

• re-usable packaging must be made as convenient as possible for clients to return the empties.
• packaging must be strong to stay with the end-user.
• ee-usable packaging benefits the environment only if it is actually returned for re-use.

F. Describe'3'key'considerations'within'‘design'for'recycling’.

• Construct your packaging so that the end-user can easily separate any components that should not go into the recycling process.
• Try to design your packaging so that minimum product residues remain when the used packaging is collected for recycling.
• Ensure that you don’t create new compatibility problems if you change the coatings, adhesives, inks, labels, closures and other sealing materials that were selected at the design stage.

G. Describe'how'effective'Metal,'Glass,'Paper'and'Board'and'Plastics'are'and'

which'of'these'may'achieve'the'‘best’'award'for'recyclability.'

Metal packaging, both steel and aluminium, has a high recycled
content, and this has no effect on functional performance.

Glass packaging also has a high recycled content and this has no

effect on functional performance. The surplus tends to

be recycled into low-value applications, such as aggregate, that may

not be as environmentally beneficial as bottle-to-bottle recycling.

Paper and board packaging for non-food contact use contains

high levels of recycled content. However, paper packaging with a

high recycled content may have to be heavier than packaging made

from virgin fibres. This is because each time fibres are recycled,

they lose strength so more fibres are needed to achieve the same

level of protection.

Metal wins the highest level of recyclability, as it has no effect on functional performance. Whereas glass has issues with colour and paper  & board looses the strength.

3. INCPEN: http://www.incpen.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB09rDeRxJo'

B. After'watching'the'video, where do you stand on packaging in

supermarkets?'Is'it'a'good'thing'or'bad?'Are'there'ways'in'which'it'could'

be'improved'(if'‘yes’'then'how?).

It is both. Good and bad. It is good, that it keeps our food fresh for longer, but certainly bad, because we are facing an issue which is literally a physical mountain of rubbish. And it is getting bigger and bigger. There is always a way to reduce packaging, including plastic (replaced into bioplastic), paper (replaced by recycled paper) and styrofoam (replaced by mushroom self-assembling fiber).


C. Do'you'know'what'you'can'recycle'domestically'after'you’ve'eaten/drank'

all'those'goods'you'(or'family)'buy'from'supermarkets?'Does'your'

Council'offer-up'options'and'if'so'then'what'are'they?'

The council offers to recycle paper and plastic.



4. ECO PAINTS:

First watch these videos:

A. Intro to'"green"eco-friendly paints. Auro paints:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhmJTb0VfUY&list=PL63EC4D418F

B4E979

• Has natural appearance of colour, smell and touch compared to massive DIY stores, that sell plastic-like materials
• Auro uses natural raw plant and mineral materials to make paint since 1983. 
• Auro paints are biodegradable. Free of emissions and unpleasant smells and toxic materials.  

B. Eco- Paints
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/09/eco-natural-paints-guide-best

• Generally, plant-based, water-borne paints are the best buy, followed by plant-based, solvent-borne ones with natural solvents. Try to avoid those using titanium dioxide.

• Eco- paints contain natural ingredients and, very often, low-carbon or carbon-neutral production and the ability to compost any leftover paint.

• Because they are microporous, they're ideal for walls in older houses, which need to breathe. 

C. Farrow & Ball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGxYBPiZf_A

• The video did not inform me of anything relevant, only that they are an interior designer-like company.

• The company claims to be using the opposite of acrylic paints with high levels of plastic, though there is no information about their paints and the materials used.
  
  
  

5. Food for thought:

A. Coke and packaging
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7vny5zLhp0

• 5.5 ml dumpster trucks in the UK waist goes to landfill every year
• Coca Cola is using 30% less plastic than 10 years ago
• Coca Cola cans are made from 100% recycled material

B. Clever Little Bag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwRulz8hPKI

• Clever little bag reduced Puma's cardboard waste by 65%
•  It will save 8036 tons of paper and 20 MJ of electricity
• Carbon Dioxide is reduced by 10000 tons/

C. UPS Courier – Sustainable Packaging video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcX3EWc_Z6c

• Packaging is necessary for a product to arrive to shops safe.
• Reducing packaging material means transporting more at once.
• Sustainable packaging means less energy used without drop of quality

D. Plastic wine container:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to2d4JFBSC4

• The pouch is filled with CO2 gas before filling it with wine to open it up
• The CO2 is pushed out of the pouch when the wine is poured in.
• Very light, air tight, no glass used.

E. Coke Plant Bottle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzO_7sp8ce4

•  The bottle is made with up to 22.5% plant based material (Brazilian sugar cane)
• and 25% recycled plastic
• By 2020 they are hoping to make all product packaging plant based

F. Local sustainable packager:
http://www.biopac.co.uk/

• Supplier of eco friendly packaging and catering disposables

• 100% biodegradable packaging can be composted and broken down completely in less than 12 weeks 

• Their solution is to use biodegradable disposables and packaging items that decompose naturally and with no harmful effects on the environment.

Edward Bulmer - Pots of Paint initial sketch ideas for sustainable packaging

E. Bulmer is an interior designer, who has been handling paint business for 30-40 years. They have already got 50 natural looking colours, which are called historic colours.

The paints are water/solvent and oil based, and that means they are using two kinds of packaging - plastic for solvent based and metal for oil based paints. Moreover the secondary packaging is being used to protect the tin and plastic with corn starch around them, so they would not move.

The company, that is based in the UK, has to get the paints form Germany or Sweden, after the manufacturers from these countries get the packaging from Poland. There is a lot of ground to cover and the carbon footprint is even too scary to calculate.
And what happens if there is a spill? We had to think about the paint.

As E. Bulmer's product manager Peter Lawley mentioned that premium paint companies still expect tin cans for packaging as a norm.
But there are a lot of issues with tin cans:

• They tent do roll around when being transported
• They tend to get dents - that means cannot be displayed on the shelf
• They rust 
• Cannot be refilled
• Can be recycled, though have quite an impact on earth

There is no way tin cans should be reintroduced to the Pots of Paint. There are so many ways to go beyond metal nowadays, that it is just silly to stick to the option we have known for decades. Especially when the company's wealth is in interest.

As I decided to move from tin cans and  plastic quite radically, I began to research various alternatives to liquid packaging:

Started from compostable food packaging: 

"Eatware products come in a variety of shapes and sizes, can safely hold oils and water, be stored in the fridge, are microwave-safe, AND are 100% compostable. Eatware is made of 100% natural fibers from bamboo, sugar cane pulp, starch and water- and no chemical additives! While there are several biodegradable food container companies on the market, some potato starch based; some corn starch based, Eatware is among the most durable and safe- decomposable in the compost and dispersed in water in just two weeks."

How Dell Turned Bamboo and Mushrooms Into Environmental-Friendly Packaging:

"At Dell, the sustainability team, working with suppliers and recyclers, has developed new compostable packaging materials made from bamboo and mushrooms. As John Pflueger, Principal Environmental Strategist, says, “It’s absolutely amazing.”"

Mushrooms and bamboo? Dell delves into packaging alternatives:

"Dell didn't come up with the whole mushroom cushion idea itself. Its partner in the ongoing pilot is Ecovative Design, a company from Green Island, N.Y., developing new materials derived from mycelium, which it likens to a "living polymer.""


EcoFeutre. Natural Packaging - Info telling us that paper does not only have to be made from wood:

"All additives used in the production process to provide molded cellulose with mechanical properties, either physical or for special purposes, are entirely biodegradable. For instance, it is a natural glue which is used to strengthen the fibers. This way more recycled (short) fibers can be used in packaging production."


As well as this - GreenBottle:

Completely biodegradable, lighter in weight, keeps the drinks cold, and contains any kind of liquid.

GreenBottle is made from 2 components

1. A moulded outer shell made from either virgin or preferably recycled paper / cardboard. The bottles can be moulded to the same shape as most plastic equivalents.
2. A loose plastic inner liner that the consumer separates from the cardboard outer to recycle separately.

This approach is enviromentally superior because:

• The cardboard outer can go into the mainstream recycling streams and can then be used to make other recycled cardboard products.
• The outer shell can itself be made from 100% recycled material
• Cardboard recycling rates across Europe are about 69% (European Recovered Paper Council 2010) and paper can be recycled as much as 6 times
• The cardboard shell is made from a renewable and sustainable source.
• The carbon footprint is lower than the competition - in the case of PET and glass, significantly lower.
• The inner liner uses 70% less plastic than a plastic bottle and this figure is set to increase to nearly 80% with our recent technology advances

 Hand made seeded paper: 

"In this section you will find our handmade seeded papers. All of these papers (apart from Lavender) can be used and then planted to produce a variety of different flowers. We are able to offer a bespoke handmade paper making service where you can choose your own colour/shade of paper and seed of your choice."


So, it is pretty clear what options are there to take. All sustainable, lessening the carbon footprint.

1. Multi component molded pulp with inner film liner. Can hold all liquids. 100% recyclable and degradable.
2. Paper made out of bamboo or palm leaf fiber. Can hold all liquids. 100% recyclable and degradable.
3. Hand made seeded paper. May be planted. Good for secondary use. 100% recyclable and degradable. Might be too thin for packaging. Better for labels. 

Packaging ideas:

 

The main idea:

To have an Outer Shell and an Inner Pouch.


Outer Shell. It would be made out of bamboo fibers - 100% biodegradable or recyclable. Packaging shape would be for easier handling and comfortability.

Inner Pouch. Would be made out of completely 100% recyclable plastic. Up to 70% less plastic (#4LDPE plastic, produces low volume waste) vs. plastic bottles. Compatible with standard fillers. Has a cap on top.

Label. Would be made out of seed paper. Easily separated from the packaging. May be planted. Can be printed on or embedded.

Ink. 100% biodegradable ink if used. Otherwise, embedded.

Transportation. The transportation would be in twos. Made out of pulp/ mushroom/ plastic carrying two Inner Pouches from a chosen country to Germany/ Sweden. Imported to the UK when filled. Put into the Outer Shells and transported to shops in the same transportation rack.
The rack could be held in shops, in case a client wants two refills at once.


Refills. It could be refilled in the UK into the same Inner Pouch when brought by a client back to a certain location and used again.

Secondary use. The label could be easily separated from the packaging and planted into the ground, watered and wildflowers/ spices grown.


References:

http://inhabitat.com/compostable-containers-by-eatware/

http://www.prweb.com/releases/biomasspackaging/supermarket-trays/prweb8910691.htm

http://www.excellentpackaging.com/ProductSheets.html

http://c2ccertified.org/news/article/be_green_packagings_packaging_receives_usda_biopreferred_certification

http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-dell-turned-bamboo-and-mushrooms-into-environmental-friendly-packaging/

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2012/08/02/mushrooms-bamboo-packaging-alternatives?page=0%2C1

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/08/10/mushroom-based-packaging-98-percent-less-energy-styrofoam

http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/bamboo-packaging

http://www.ecofeutre.com/molded-cellulose/raw-materials/

http://www.greenbottle.com/environment/why-is-greenbottle-better/the-packaging-problem.aspx

http://www.greenbottle.com/our-bottles/wine.aspx

http://www.ecologicbrands.com/our_con.html

http://inhabitat.com/green-packaging/

http://inhabitat.com/bambu-earths-responsible-soap-skincare-is-packaged-with-seeded-paper/

Task 3, Little Greene Eco Paints

When thinking about the eco packaging for paints, I immediately took the secondary use into consideration. Although DIY people are quite smart and creative, I could not rely on a probability that someone will make something good and useful out of the packaging when the paint is finished. Thus the packaging had to be easily to disassemble and recycle.
First sketches were considerably average as I had to consider a "metal can" possibility, which was the first to be scraped.

From the metal can - to plastic bags.
The paint industry uses a broad variety of containers, though the most of regular paints are still contained in metal/plastic cans, like online shops for companies selling packaging for chemical products.

This way of packaging is not only not eco friendly, but not very intelligent and fun either, though there already are products that are completely made out of recycled goods.
When I scraped the metal can idea, tetrapack was the first one in the line with some good ideas in japanese packaging and easy recycling.

Nevertheless tetrapack seemed too uncomfortable to be paint packaging, as it was either too little or too massive and inconvenient.
That is when I started to look at recyclable plastic bags. After doing the research about plastic bags, the bottom line was not to do it, isn't there enough plastic bags? They are recyclable, but if binned it degrades in a long time, which is the problem.

When I read that we can make paper, card, foam -like packaging from mushrooms, I thought there had to be some easier way to pack paint in a light and easy degradable package.

And there it is! Paper made from bamboo or palm leaves, the sustainable resources, that we can grow. The paper can hold any liquid on the market and is easy degradable. The discoverer of Bottle 360 is New York designer and inventor, Jim Warner, who started used those materials for packaging.

The packaging for Little Greene has features of the plastic bag and a bottle, which becomes a spice growing container when it is split in two, where showed.

Task 2, Sustainable Design/ Packaging Design/ Architecture

Arnold Barlow, Senior Manager in UPS Sustainability Solutions taking about general reduction of the environmental impact when it comes to design and transportation of a product.

Paul Whittey, Penrose Products

 According to The Eco-Design Manifesto:

1. Design to satisfy real needs as opposed to transient, fashionable or market-driven needs.
The packaging is very fashionable, resembles the idea of  the company as well as the quality (luxury products).

2. Design to minimise the ecological footprint of the product/material/service product, i.e.

reduce resource consumption, including energy and water.

The recourses used for the packaging are made out of the used wool/cotton this way reducing consumption of energy used for production.


4. 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.

The separation of the products after unpacking is very uncomplicated and easy to use or recycle.


5. Design to exclude the use of substances toxic or hazardous to human and other forms of

life at all stages of the product/material/service product's lifecycle.

No toxic or hazardous substances used in order to produce the packaging, the opposite - the recourses are the same as for the products.



7. Design to use locally available materials and resources wherever possible (thinking

globally but acting locally).


The products used for packaging production are locally produced and used.


9. Design to dematerialise products into services wherever feasible.
10. Design to maximise a product/material/service product's benefits to communities.
 
The packaging for the pillows becomes a linen bin after unpacking.

11. Design to encourage modularity in design to permit sequential purchases, as needs require

and funds permit, to facilitate repair/reuse and to improve functionality.

The functionality of a pillow packaging is quite intelligent and stimulating when it becomes a linen bin, this way not only improving functionality to an upper level, but saving money and energy of buying new linen bins, which are quite expensive.

13. Publish eco-pluralistic designs in the public domain for everyone's benefit, especially

those designs that commerce will not manufacture.

This kind of packaging is a stimulus to other pillow and duvet producers, to turn it into something very useful.

TASK 1, The Age of Stupid - Oil Industry

Issues:

Toxicity:

• The Crude oil is a mixture of many different kinds of organic compounds, many of which are highly toxic and cancer causing (carcinogenic). 
• Oil is "acutely lethal" to fish, that is it kills fish quickly, at a concentration of 4000 parts per million (ppm)(0.4%). 
• Crude oil and petroleum distillates cause birth defects.
• Benzene is present in both crude oil and gasoline and is known to cause leukemia in humans. 
• The compound is also known to lower the white blood cell count in humans, which would leave people exposed to it more susceptible to infections.

Exhaust:

• When oil or petroleum distillates are burned, usually the combustion is not complete. This means that incompletely burned compounds are created in addition to just water and carbon dioxide. The other compounds are often toxic to life.
• Also, fine particulates of soot blacken humans' and other animals' lungs and cause heart problems or death. Soot is cancer causing.

Acid Rain:

• High temperatures created by the combustion of petroleum cause nitrogen gas in the surrounding air to oxidize, creating nitrous oxides. Nitrous oxides, along with sulfur dioxide from the sulfur in the oil, combine with water in the atmosphere to create acid rain.
• Acid rain causes many problems such as dead trees and acidified lakes with dead fish. Coral reefs in the world's oceans are killed by acidic water caused by acid rain.
• Acid rain leads to increased corrosion of machinery and structures (large amounts of capital), and to the slow destruction of archaeological structures like the marble ruins in Rome and Greece.

Climate Change:

• Humans burning large amounts of petroleum create large amounts of CO₂ gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. Also some organic compounds, such as methane released from petroleum drilling or from the petroleum itself, trap heat several times more efficiently than CO₂. 
• Soot blocks the sun from reaching the earth and could cause cooling of the earth's atmosphere.

Oil Spills:

• Major oil spills include the Kuwaiti oil fires, Kuwaiti oil lakes, Lakeview Gusher, Gulf War oil spill, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Spilt oil penetrates into the structure of the plumage of birds and the fur of mammals, reducing its insulating ability, and making them more vulnerable to temperature fluctuations and much less buoyant in the water. Cleanup and recovery from an oil spill is difficult and depends upon many factors, including the type of oil spilled, the temperature of the water (affecting evaporation and biodegradation), and the types of shorelines and beaches involved. Spills may take weeks, months or even years to clean up

VOS's: 

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases or vapours emitted by various solids and liquids, many of which have short- and long-term adverse effects on human health and the environment. VOCs from petroleum are toxic and foul the air, and some like benzene are extremely toxic, carcinogenic and cause DNA damage.
  
  
  

  Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy

  
  • 15-year limit set for switch to renewable energy
  • Biofuels favoured over further nuclear power
  • Doing so to avoid climate change and huge oil prices.
  • Dependency on oil should be broken by 2020.
    
    
  "Sweden, which was badly hit by the oil price rises in the 1970s, now gets almost all its electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power, and relies on fossil fuels mainly for transport. Almost all its heating has been converted in the past decade to schemes which distribute steam or hot water generated by geothermal energy or waste heat. A 1980 referendum decided that nuclear power should be phased out, but this has still not been finalised."
  
  (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2006/feb/08/frontpagenews.oilandpetrol)