Transport and packaging materials in particular are often characterized by their short service life. They are mainly made of single-use plastic and are still an integral part of supermarkets, making it difficult to switch to environmentally friendly alternatives. Reusable packaging must not only be sustainable and long lasting, but also designed to be user-friendly.
Single-use plastics are responsible for half of all plastic waste in the world and contribute to more than eight million tons of new plastic entering oceans each year. 2H helps to reduce the amount by replacing single-use plastic containers. It is as convenient and highly reusable.
We created a composite of flexible and stiff elements, to allow maximum adjustability whilst offering protection against bruising and pressure points on the groceries.
We experimented with different patterns in various shapes and sizes to achieve the ideal balance between adaptability and stiffness. During the development process, we also tested different filaments and textiles to ensure a consistently sustainable product. We experimented with biodegradable materials such as PLA, recycled PLA and Wood Filament as well as different types of nets. For us, recyclability was very important, which we achieved by using one material for the whole design. We combined food safe PLA filament with a PLA-net.
Our goal was to exploit the advantages of 3D printing by working on a closure that requires no additional material components. It is directly integrated into the packaging, while being robust, durable and quick to apply. Due to the multilayer sandwich construction, the filament fuses with the mesh in between. This creates a stable and therefore long-lasting end result.
Single-use plastics average use period is less than six months, often less than six minutes and persist as plastic pollution in our environment for hundreds of years. 2H is made to be used for years and can be shredded and reused as raw material for new 3D prints.
The pattern creates a protective barrier to the outside with the smallest possible contact area to the inside. Which means, it provides protection from all sides during transportation and prevents condensation during storage. In addition, we wanted to offer the possibility to clean the product easily, so that it can be integrated into everyday life in a user-friendly way. That's why we chose mesh as the matrix to implement a lightweight, breathable and of course washable material.
Taminee Schönfelder
This project was developed together with Taminee Schönfelder as an Applied Research Project during her internship.
