The Buoy Bottle is outstanding in the way it is produced and the impact it can have. In an interview, Pascal Schaller explains the production process and what obstacles they had to overcome in order to get the product they have now. ⬇ 🔴 Red Dot: Sustainable production was the focus of Buoy’s development. Can you tell us something about the material? Pascal Schaller: We are very proud of the fact that we use 100 per cent recycled ocean-bound plastic. It is recovered from rivers and coastal regions in Mexico and California. We specifically source food-grade HDPE from recycled milk and juice bottles. A state-of-the-art recycling plant in Los Angeles processes these materials for us. 🔴 Are they easy to process or did you need innovative manufacturing techniques? Using 100 per cent recycled material is anything but easy. Even the manufacturers encouraged us to add new plastic to improve the melt flow and to simplify production. But we refused. Four years, four manufacturers and two moulds later, we finally got the product right. You have to understand that recycled plastic without additives reduces the melt flow by a factor of 10, so we had to develop a mould for these specific conditions, with larger gates and a more complex cooling system to control the flow of material in the mould. 🔴 Which design detail was most important to you in Buoy? The surface texture was a very conscious choice. We ensured that it was slightly rough for a secure grip, while at the same time providing a matt finish for the desired aesthetic. We also streamlined the bottle components to reduce weight and optimise durability, but also designed the thread to twist on and off with just a few turns for enhanced convenience. See of the Buoyzero Bottle here: https://lnkd.in/eUi5uyV6 #RedDotAward #Sustainability
Brett Klisch
1mo
I love this companies business model. We are trying to bring the use of recycled and sustainable product into our practice and this is a great user case. The buoy bottle has a nice combo of retro boating world imagery with new contemporary lines and curves. Nicely done.
Katrin Vogel
1mo
👌
Social Entrepreneur + Climate Organizer + Endurance Athlete
1moListen, I appreciate the work you are trying to do but it doesn’t really help. The world does not need another plastic water bottle. We need border systems that enable refill and reuse, and, return of empty packaging for reuse when producers are directly involved in such systems. Your website seems well intentioned but you don’t talk about #nanoplastics and #microplastics issues associated with using plastics as a base material in food and drinks. Further and most unfortunately, there is a sense of approval of companies dumping all the waste on us. “Someone in Los Angeles is collecting it all… let’s keep producing. Why turn off the tap?” My words may seem harsh… but this is not 1992. It’s time for powerful design agencies like #reddot to promote broader systemic change driven design and not hide in the guise of defunct #recycling systems.