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