5L Fexible Handle

Watson's Water in China features a unique side handle that is placed on the bottle AFTER the blowing process as opposed to during blowing. Most haside handles are only reliable for volumes up to 3 liters. This handle is applied on a 4.5L bottle. The only disadvantage I have noticed is that it does not allow for a wrap around label, so PVC shrink or OPP are out of the question. More manufacturing solutions out of China.

Comparison of Chill Stamping Machines

This is a comparison of the single cavity soap stamping machine against a 4 cavity automatic stamping machine, with a deflashing system. More reliable machinery out of China, for emerging markets.

Extrusion Blow Moulding Machine for 5L Jar

ABSOLUT Vodka just got SPIKE'd

Absolut Vodka is notorious for its unique labels, and for their latest installation 'Absolut Brooklyn' they called on none other than the iconic film maker Spike Lee for his input. Probably the coolest feature of the bottle is Lars Olsson Smith sporting Spike Lee's signature glasses and baseball cap on the Absolut seal.

The silk screen print features a classic Brooklyn stoop with the #165 as a shout out to Spike's original roots.

The sides pay homage to a spoken word poem by Lemon Anderson 'Somewhere in the world Brooklyn in da house and you know we won't stop spreading love cause that's our way'

Absolut Brooklyn is red apple and ginger flavor, symbolic of the flavor Brooklyn brings to the Big Apple. Cant wait to get my paws on this one.

EMECO x COKE Recycled Plastic Chairs

In 2006 Coca-Cola approached Emeco, the aluminum chair company, to make a chair out of recycled PET material. Emeco jumped on the challenge and in April of 2010 have finally released their creation at the Milan Furniture Show. Working closely with petrochemical innovators BASF, they have formulated new materials to enhance the strength of rPET and create a new color palette to suite their product. In addition, substantial improvements were implemented on the mould design and manufacturing process to accommodate the recycled materials.

The result? 111 Navy Chair™, a plastic chair made from 111 (one hundred and eleven) plastic Coca-Cola bottles.

“The goal of the 111 Navy project was to alter consumer behavior by illustrating the value of rPET with beautifully designed and everyday products - ultimately encouraging more recycling.”

Source: NotCot, EMECO

PUMA x Eco Friendly Packaging

PUMA has recently introduced the 'Clever Little Bag' as a sustainable packaging substitute for the large boxes filled with paper that we are so used to buying sneakers in. Continuing their long-term commitment to social and environmental causes, this sustainable packaging and distribution system was designed by Yves Behar.

The new innovative solution will significantly reduce the amount of waste and CO2 emissions that traditional product packaging such as shoe-boxes and apparel polyethylene bags generate and underpins PUMA’s target of reducing carbon, energy, water, and waste by 25%, and developing 50% of its international product collections in footwear, apparel and accessories according to best practice sustainability standards by 2015.

321 Tap into Water

An Australian company called 'Half a Teaspoon' is dedicated to creating and introducing new products to to their market that would make it easier for consumers to make more environmental choices. Their latest product is the 321 Water Bottle that can instantly purify tap water with a plunger built into a portable bottle. Their website claims that one push will remove 'any chlorine, unpleasant tastes, and odors' from the water.

While the product design is interesting and the concept is commendable, I do not see this product surviving outside an urban environment. Firstly you would require access to fairly well treated tap water, and secondly it is just not as convenient as throwing a carton of bottled water into your car when you are heading out onto the road. Plastic waste is an issue we must contend with but new concepts must consider the function of the plastic bottle. Not only do plastic containers allow us to drink good quality water on demand, but also allow us to transport large quantities of drink water to locations where none is available.

ChinaPlas Shanghai 2010

This year ChinaPlas is taking place in Shanghai. It is gonna be a big season for Shanghai as they are hosting the China World Expo this month as well. The dates for ChinaPlas are:

Date
19-22 April 2010

Opening Hours
19-21. 4. 2010 ( 09:30 - 17:30 )
22. 4. 2010 ( 09:30 - 15:00 )

Venue
Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Pudong, Shanghai, PR China

Admission Details
The exhibition is opened for professionals in the industry
Admission fee is RMB20 per person
Students and children will not be admitted

There is lots of talk about the quality of Chinese machinery for the packaging industry so this year the local companies are pulling out all their punches to prove that they can manufacture high tech machinery for the plastics and rubber industry. Amongst the exhibitors will also be numerous suppliers of raw materials. It should be an interesting week in Shanghai.

PLASTIKI - A Boat Made of Recycled PET

A boat made using over 12,000 PET bottles has set sail on a voyage that will take them across the Pacific Ocean from the western coast of North America to the Eastern Coast of Australia. The mission is to raise awareness of environmental issues this planet faces and also address social issues whist driving innovative solution.

"It’s about recognizing that waste is fundamentally a design flaw (it does not appear in nature) It’s about re-thinking waste as a resource. It’s about cyclical ‘cradle-to-cradle’ philosophies rather than linear thinking when it comes to how we design our world. It’s about a better understanding of the lifecycle’s and materials used in our everyday lives. It’s about being curious and open, being prepared to let go of assumptions in order to undertake a new ‘Planet 2.0’ way of thinking and acting. It’s about acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers and that nobody is as smart as everybody. It’s about being collaborative and curious so to engage multiple perspectives, skills, opinions and organizations. It’s about constantly learning, unlearning and re-learning. It’s about re-integrating back into the web of life by recognizing and reducing our human fingerprints on the natural world. It’s about moving on from just articulating the problems and inspiring action of the solutions. It’s about encouraging the world to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink more of the planets natural resources. It’s about delivering a spectacular global “Message in a Bottle”."

This is a landmark expedition that we hope paves the way for more adventurous entrepreneurs to give something back by opening the door to new possibilities. You can follow the voyages of the PLASTIKI on the their website. The voyage will take 3 months to complete and we wish them the best of luck.

Source: PLASTIKI

Innovative Design x Construction Technology

Product design is not just limited to food and beverage packaging, or products for the general consumer market. Construction Technologies Australia (CTA) recently teamed up with War Design.

"War worked with CTA to develop a brand architecture and identity across their corporate brand and product ranges. The objective is to reflect the new level of professionalism and technical advancement in their fields of expertise. The end result shows a bold, strong and forward thinking company on the verge of greatly impacting the Australian & New Zealand market place.”

Source: Lovely Package

Salve Water x Social Business

“I will not spend the money for myself. I will rather spend it in special business on a no-profit-no-loss policy.” – Muhammad Yunus

The quote from Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Prize laureate and the developer of the term “social business”, summarizes well the process which guided the concept behind Salve (”Save” in Portuguese), a product conceived and branded by À La Carte Design and developed in joint with Acqua Incorp.

We’re living in an era in which philanthropy, eco-consciousness and well-being are increasingly present in each aspect of our daily lives. And the “Generation G” – G for “generosity” –, as pointed out by Trendwatching website, moves and is moved by this urge in doing the good, not only for the self, but for everyone else. And is precisely in this desire to do the good that “Salve” makes a call, turning the simple act of buying a bottle of water into a collaborative movement that helps to transform lives.

The identity follows this concept, of collectiveness, compounded by a mosaic of icons representing positive attitudes which, albeit small, form a greater picture; the importance of small acts that realize great things together.

And to kick off this project, Instituto Criar will be the first institution to be benefited through the “Salve” water, with your donation. Take an action, take “Salve”.

Source: Lovely Package

9000 Years Dagu Glacier Spring Water

I stopped in at a convenience store in Guangzhou (CHINA) yesterday and came across this bottle of mineral water. The first thing I noticed was the foil pack. The print claims the introduction of this new outer packaging seals of light and prevents the introduction of electromagnetic waves that would effect the water quality.

Dagu Glacier Spring Water is Nine Thousand Six Hundred and Ten years old. The company pledges that all their products are bottled at source and even go as far as to offer a 1 Million RMB (US $147,000) reward to anyone who can offer proof that the company has manufactured and filled the product in a plant outside the place of origin or any engagement in contract production to produce and bottle the product.

While most 500ml PET water bottles are priced around3 RMB, this bottle of Dagu Glacier Spring Water was selling for 10 RMB (US $1.47). This is the first time I am seeing this water in the market which makes me curious as to how effective their marketing campaign will be. Chinese consumers are generally quite conservative and I can't imagine too many people would pay over 3 times the price of competitors brands to enjoy the purity of 9000 year old glacier water, no matter how good it tastes.

The bottle design is simple, yet attractive. They have utilized a 1.9g HDPE 30/25 water neck closure and a 19.5g preform. It is refreshing to see that they have not gone for a heavy preform simply to make their bottle feel more expensive as some artesian brands do, but the foil pack does seem quite wasteful.

Water for Water

“Recently finished design for a new line of bottled water called ‘Water For Water’ which is currently stocked across all Gloria Jean’s Coffee houses in Australia, with plans to implement the water into the international GJC franchises in the near future as well as other retail outlets.

The goal of the design was to reflect the international goals of the water (via the small text on the front with WATER in different languages) along with providing a design that would stand out from the rest of the bottled water that’s currently on the market. The design of the bottle took on and off approximately six months, going through various different design iterations including trials on different stocks, and was also affected by getting approval for the right launch date.

All of the profits from the sale of Water for Water go directly towards water based projects and initiatives and currently the first project is a Water Station in Caloocan, Philippines. It’ll provide not only clean drinking water at a minute cost, but also host a community centre that’ll he provide education both for children and adults as well as run programs on healthy living.”

Source: Lovely Package

Method Laudry Detergent

Method Laundry Detergent has just dropped their new fabric cleaner in the US market and claim that it is 'smarter', 'easier', and 'greener' than their competitors brands. How? Well they are utilizing a new formula with 'smartclean' technology, their precision dosing pump avoids wastage, and their plant based formula is 95% natural packed in bottles that are not only easier to hold and transport, but also uses 36% less plastic than other leading detergent brands. While it usually cost consumers more to go green, Method Laundry Detergent is actually giving visitors to their website $2 off of their next Method purchase. While USA and EU are offering subsidies to manufacturers who cut emissions in those regions, we still have to weigh how cost effective it is to 'go green' in Africa.

Ashley Greene x SoBe Life Water

Ashley Greene, gorgeous star of the super famous 'Twilight' TV series franchise recently posed naked for SoBe Lifewater, a spread that will feature in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. SoBe Lifewater boasts zero calories and now a semi-nude Ashley Greene to make their product all the more attractive. You gotta love celebrity endorsements.

Is Glass Packing Best for the Environment?

Beverage Daily today published an article titled 'Glass Packing is Best for the Environment'. While the article does contain some interesting facts, it is however based on a study conducted by the EU Association for Container Glass. 2 countries that have the most successful glass recycling systems in place are Belgium and Sweden with close to 100% of their glass jars and bottles that were put on the market, being collected for recycling.

Responsible beverage manufacturers do regularly ask the question, is glass better for the environment? Based on extensive studies, the answer is yes. But is it a practical solution for 3rd world or West African market place? The cost of manufacturing glass bottles is more expensive as is distribution. The recycling process is also costly and bottles have to be collected from various vendors. Transporting bottles to rural areas takes trucks over some rough roads which inevitably leads to breakages. Glass is also more heavy in areas where goods are transported over long distances by manual labor.

While both Sweden and France have some of the best drinking water available from their taps, they also boast the most sophisticated glass bottle and jar recycling systems. But in places like Africa where there is a greater demand for packaged food and beverages, there are few facilities to deal with the rubbish left over. It is still evident that the recycling technology available in the America's and Europe has not even begun to trickle down to Africa, while large beverage manufacturers can still take advantage of the loose carbon and waste emission laws. It seems to me that the question is not really weather PET or glass is better, but rather, what else have we got?

COCO Organic Coconut Water

“Brazilian scientist Dr Antonio Martins invented a revolutionary new way of extracting coco juice so that it is left as pure and untouched as it is in the coconut.

His brief to us was to craft a new identity that linked his coco juice, coco milks and indulgent coco cream, and to create packaging that also communicated the various health benefits and taste characteristics of the different products.

Our brand overhaul managed to pull off Dr Martins’ various demands and had a dramatic effect on sales, securing the brand an award at an international exhibition and a prestigious launch at Harvey Nichols.”

Green Coco Europe appears to have a great business model where they source only organic coconuts from local co-operatives. They also try to invest directly in education charities passing on Dr. Martins patented extraction technology. They got a pretty good assortment of products with mixed flavors including pineapple and banana. One of their goals is to expand their range using all parts of the coconut (water, flesh, and husk).

Source: Lovely Package

Recyled PET Bottle Dwellings

While PET beverage packaging is practical and cost effective, most manufacturers and consumers alike are aware of the environmental impact our addiction to PET has on this planet. While we can not eliminate the need for PET bottles, there are more solutions available to recycle PET.

Individual environmentalists and scientists have been working with impoverished communities in Latin America and Caribbean nations using waste PET bottles to build homes. They have demonstrated that by filling bottles with silted sand and with their method of construction, "PET bottles make a tougher, more durable construction material than common concrete blocks used in most Central American building."

PET bottles are either woven together and stacked with reinforcement to make walls or even poured in molds with cement to create modular panels.

Not only has this method proven to be practical and durable, some conversationalists are even making these homes look good!

With an island of PET the size of North America taking shape in the Pacific Ocean and our demand for packaged beverages on the rise, this is just another solution for 3rd world markets to consider.

Sources: Learning Site, Temasactuales, EcoPop