Mikel Calleja’s Post

That is a beautiful example of "design at work" or if you prefer "real design". I can bet on a few foundation requirements in this R&D project: The challenge? Pack goods safely, reduce impact, cushion the items. Second challenge? Reduce amount of plastic & use environmentally friendly material, easy to recycle and widely available. Material must be also production ready and predictable. Outcome? Innovative approach to well known material (paper) with a use of well known process (cutting). I have a feeling, that it took some lab hours to produce final product, but I see from the promo video how excellent the job has been done. Not only already existing material is being used, but it fits to existing features - wrappers for stretch foil, hand packing stations etc. Excellent work! I love it. #design #industrialdesign #packaging #innovation #paper

PACKAGING 📦 AND SUSTAINABILITY 🌱 In an era where every small gesture contributes to planetary health, the innovative hexagonal packaging from HexcelPack, LLC stands out as a game-changer. 🍃 Eco-Friendly Hexagonal Design Significantly reduces plastic use Enhances efficiency and durability Optimize both product safety and resource utilization. ♻️ Rethinking Traditional Packaging Moves beyond the limitations of plastic-based solutions. Offers cost savings and operational improvements. Reduce packaging time These solutions are durable packaging design that marks a significant advancement in the supply chain, offering a 100% recyclable alternative to traditional plastic solutions. By choosing this path, we actively embrace our role in making a positive difference for our planet. Amine BOUDER Eduardo BANZATO Florian Palatini

Plastic is a very useful material. It's extremely durable and virtually indestructible. The problem with plastic is that we use too much of it when we don't need it. For example, why are cucumbers wrapped in plastic at the grocery store? You can peel the skin or if you want to leave the skin, you can wash them. If you can afford to buy a plastic-wrapped cucumber, you can afford to wash it too. Another example of excessive use of plastic is the suitcase wrapping stations at the airport. They use an insane about of plastic that will be discarded and probably improperly disposed of after the trip. As a Latin American, I understand why people want to wrap their suitcases, you don't want them to be open and lose their belongings or that they get damaged in transport. But wrapping them in plastic is no guarantee for the first fear since it can still happen using scissors. and as to your second fear, here is a better option. One could argue that this solution is still creating waste but I would encourage you to look up how long it takes for cardboard to degrade compared to how long it takes for plastic to degrade. Spoiler alert! Only one will happen in your lifetime. Thanks, Tommaso Ferraro for the interesting share!

🌿🚀 New Article Alert: Brakeable featured in "Forum Nachhaltig Wirtschaften"! 🚀🌿 We are thrilled to share that Brakeable has been highlighted in an insightful article published just yesterday in forum Nachhaltig Wirtschaften. The piece dives deep into the paradox faced by companies in today's competitive markets: the push for shorter product cycles versus the urgent need for sustainable practices emphasized by EU directives like the Green Claims and Eco-Design-Guidelines. 🔍 Key Highlights from the Article: 🌱 The Dilemma: Companies and consumers are caught in a cycle that demands faster product turnover, often leading to lower-quality goods, while sustainability pressures are mounting. ♻️ Product Longevity: The article explores how product longevity, seen as a key aspect of quality, can significantly reduce the carbon footprint. Quality is not just a selling point but a crucial factor in sustainable consumption, perceived as more eco-friendly than recycled products by consumers. 📊 Research Insights: In collaboration with the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research and VAUDE, the study analyzed how the lifespan of products affects their carbon footprint. Astonishingly, products with higher manufacturing efforts, such as wool textiles, showed up to 60% CO2 savings when used longer. 🔧 Design and Manufacturing: The findings highlight that improvements in product design and manufacturing can greatly enhance longevity, offering a more impactful reduction in CO2 emissions compared to other factors like energy source selection or transportation methods. 💡 Consumer Perception: Longevity is often linked to quality by consumers. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation underscores the importance of both longevity and quality to maintain product appeal and relevance. Understanding real-world usage and wear through consumer engagement is crucial for developing effective circular product strategies. 💬 Join the Conversation: We are eager to connect with industry stakeholders to drive the shift towards longer product lifecycles and sustainable business models. 🤝 Thanks to the great team making this article happen: Julian Schmidt, René Bethmann, Florian Schmid, Thomas Fischer, Mareike Giebeler, Marie Carlotta Hoffend, OpenAI #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ProductLongevity #Carbonfootprint

Thanks for the efforts in this project Thomas and Stefan Hauser to quantify the positive environmental impact of products with longer lifetime. Again an example, that there are possibilities to act. One challenge remains, which is the same as also observed for a second approach, better circularity of textiles: Both, wool as natural fiber with lot of positive properties same as recycled fibers with reduced carbon footprint and avoiding waste, are more expensive as fibers and more costly in processing compared to virgin short staple fibers (e.g. cotton or polyester). But the first production steps - spinning and weaving/knitting - are under big cost pressure. Those processes are not able to get their additional cost compensated by their direct customers in the following steps, also because to my observation down the chain to garment there is a lack of awareness and know-how about the complex interrelationships and for the specific know-how needed in each step for any adaption. Huge cost pressure results traditionally backwards from brands and trade, because this final step has to bear a lot of cost. It is the only visible, covering huge cost of product development and marketing. And it also has to cover the cost for finally unsellable products, which is a reasonable share. To my understanding a joint approach is needed from several sides - intensify co-operation with all participants along the chain - use approaches of Industry4.0 and AI to reduce the quantity of unsold products - continue research to understand impact of different measures - continue working on technical solutions, because creating know-how along the complex textile chain will still consume extremely time and ressources - work to create general awareness and understanding in public

When it comes to sustainability, it's important to ask questions and do research. That's exactly what I did when I saw this HexcelPack's product used in a shop where I was buying some small fragile objects. The sustainability of this packaging depends on the source of the paper used. If the paper comes from sustainably managed forests, then the products can be considered sustainable. HexcelPack claims that their paper is made from "100% Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Canadian Paper." PEFC is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable forestry practices. This means that HexcelPack's products are likely to be more sustainable than products made from paper that is not certified. However, it's important to note that not all PEFC-certified paper is necessarily sustainable. Some certified forests may still be managed in ways that damage the environment. It's also important to consider the overall environmental impact of HexcelPack's products, including the energy used to produce and transport them. Overall, HexcelPack's products are a step in the right direction towards a more sustainable future. Let's make sure to check that the paper used is certified and use the products in a way that minimizes their environmental impact. Thank you Simon Stremersch for sharing your insights on sustainability and HexcelPack's products. Let's keep asking questions and striving for innovation in sustainable business development. #OrigamiMindset #BusinessDevelopment #Innovation #OrigamiGroup #ResearchDrivenSuccess #WiseBusiness #OrigamiEngineering

Paper instead of plastic ?

Sustainability and efficiency at a new level!

Within the lighting industry there's a throwaway mentality. If a light's finished with, it goes to landfill. Orluna are rejecting this mentality. Believing instead that all lighting products should be sourced and designed with the intention of being recovered, recycled and fully repairable. Since 2018, Orluna has wholeheartedly embraced circular economy principles as they believe this is the best single way to make a tangible, immediate difference. Over the last four years Orluna has quietly reformulated. Redesigning supply chains, materials, product design and collection, so that, Orluna now operates fully on circular economy principles. All Orluna products remain the same quality as ever, but are now designed for circularity. Circular products mean less virgin materials, less packaging and, most importantly, saying goodbye to single-use manufacturing. This is beautifully lit, for life.

What #Compostable and #Soluble #packaging can do for #sustainablepackaging ? ♻ In essence, the sustainable packaging conversation has largely orbited for quite some time around the question of how to use ‘classical’ materials (glass aluminum, a handful of polymers) more responsibly, in a #circulareconomy context: how to design #recyclablepackaging; what materials have established recycling streams; the availability of suitable and economical streams of post-consumer recycled materials, etc. This is legitimate since these ‘classical’ materials make up for the vast majority of packaging. 🔎 But in parallel considerable R&D have been invested in exploring alternative materials and life cycle concepts that are offering interesting options. One important alternative is that of biodegradable and soluble packaging. As always, especially in the field of sustainability, things are not black and white and the devil is in the details! 📅 On Tuesday Oct. 1st at 3 pm join us at Luxe Pack for a round table on this topic. 👩🔬 👨🔬 With Benjamin Cohen, Judith Fiedler, Marianne Mensah Soulez Lariviere and Alain Pierron we will focus on bringing to light some important notions that define the field of Compstable and Soluble packaging, both technical and regulatory, and also maybe kill a few preconceived ideas…