Table of Contents
Material sources
Material properties, utilisation, combination and components
Coating & coloring
Product packaging
Product storage & transport
Point of sale and last mile, product disposal and take-back
Inspiration & Background Research
Beer can inspirations: Paper beer cans
Beer can inspirations: Plastic beer cans
Beer can inspirations: Aluminum beer cans
Packaging/casing: Paper casing
Packaging/casing: Reusable cases
Packaging/casing: Magnetic
Packaging/casing: Plastic
Production
Utilization
Functionality
Product life
Final Sketches
Product Retirement
New Life & Recycling
So what happens with our cardboard after it is recycled at a proper facility?
What about the plastic lining?
And the Aluminum?
Abstract
For our sustainable product, we decided to focus on making beer cans more environmentally friendly. Through the double diamond process of product design, we have developed our concept for BioBeer, which boasts an efficient and fully recyclable can and packaging, made out of cardboard, compostable plastic and a small piece of aluminum. This document will showcase the research, development, and final concept for BioBeer. Much of our inspiration and guidance came from The Cambridge Sustainable Design Strategy Cards, and from some of the leading eco-friendly and sustainably designed beer brands, Citradelic IPA (New Belgium Brewing) and Carlsberg, a Danish Pils.
Specification List
Research
In the life span of each product, the product goes through many phases and steps, which will be discussed in this chapter of our seminar paper. With the help of the Cambridge Sustainable Design Strategy Cards we tried to define as many phases as possible, but focused on the ones that are more essential to our product development.
Material sources
First off in choosing the materials that our product is made of, is making sure that it comes from local sources to minimise the costs, time of transportation. We plan on choosing a local distributor, local factory, supplier for making it.
Outer shell of the cans will be made from recycled cardboard and after doing some research of the German market we found KlarPac company to state as an example. At the moment they are providing sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives for different (mostly) single-use products.
The inner lining is made from compostable plastics, which is regenerative and in 90 % made of cellulose, 5 % water, 4 % glycerin and 1 % binders. It should take 42 days to compost and is compatible with food and beverages. A service that provides compostable solution for packaging from Germany is company Repaq. They are very transparent about their work and also certified by TÜV.
The third material is aluminium and it’s used for the tab – it’s the smallest part of the can. People in Germany are already used to recycling aluminium and the numbers are still increasing, so the companies providing that service are accessible, since it’s been part of the system for a while.
A big part of sustainability is also being transparent and able to track the product – being open where the product was made, what it was made of etc. We hope to ensure traceability and environmental compatibility. With previously mentioned Repaq as possible company to provide inner lining, they were tested by the Frauenhofer Institut and have TÜV certificate “compostable in home and garden” which validates the outstanding results. Besides that, all Repaq packaging are suitable for direct contact with food and fulfill the requirements of European and North American legislation. Repaq products are protected against migration of mineral oil (MOSH, MOAH), they are checked and confirmed by the Health Department of Swiss Canton Zurich and the pulp for Repaq comes from FSC- and PEFC-free forestry.
Material properties, utilisation, combination and components
BioBeer is only made of three materials: recycled cardboard, compostable plastic and aluminium.
We chose to try and use as little products as possible and minimised it to three main materials. One of those is recycled cardboard which means that this material will be used again; it means we are trying to reduce the cardboard waste. Same goes with the aluminium, which can all be easily recycled and it’s something people are already conscious of.
Coating & coloring
If we decide that coating is needed with our product, since it’s a beverage and it will be in-between temperatures, we were thinking of trying some. Coating industry is very polluting even though it has been improving in the last years. Whether or not we’ll use the coating it will be a solution from the typical feedstock and bio-based technology, where resins and additives can be based on renewable resources and formulater into paints complying with existing and future regulations.
Product packaging
We decided to pack the 6-pack together with an adhesive, which was inspired Carlsberg’s Tallboy, instead of using plastic. The types of glue we use and their impact on the environment probably isn’t really environmentally friendly, but there are some eco-friendlier alternatives. They are called bioadhesives and it has less of an impact on the environment in comparison to other glues (or even to other alternatives we could use for our packaging). Things that earth friendly glue includes: it has low or no VOC (VOCs are volatile organic compounds); it’s petrochemical free; it’s water based; it’s packaged in recycled or recyclable packaging.
One of the popular active components of eco adhesives is Amino Silane, and its properties include very low order of toxicity for oral, skin and eye contact, we can’t sese it and doesn’t cause reproductive toxicity.
With the use of adhesive we would avoid any other physical part of packaging and with that we would make it easier for people to use the product and possibly encourage them to buy it.
Product storage & transport
The product wouldn’t be made in huge masses since the beer can go bad in 6 months, as well as the inner lining. We hope to sell it as soon as it’s made. If we make it in amounts big enough for local consumption (example Stuttgart area) we wouldn’t need big storage spaces, and we could distribute it with lower costs. In that case our best option would probably still be road transport with trucks. If we decided to sell product to a bigger area, we could also distribute it with train transport, which is more environmentally friendly and at the same time very efficient.
Point of sale and last mile, product disposal and take-back
The point of sale for our product would be the practicality in comparison to glass bottles, but with the even better effect on the environment as those. It’s a single use product and the only instructions provided would be how to recycle it.
On the other hand, we would also like to raise awareness in terms of being more sustainable and showing people how easy it can be done. We want to inform people about the materials used for this beer cans, then how to recycle them and with that to teach them how easy it is. Product components should be separated – cardboard from plastic inner lining, as well as aluminum opener. We want to inform them that most of the materials used are recyclable and will be used again in the future.
Inspiration and Background
Beer can inspirations: Paper beer cans
Highlighted here is the idea that paper beer cans have the ability to be recycled more efficiently than aluminum beer cans. The problem we came across with paper beer cans is liquid can’t stay in the casing for very long without destroying the paper. In order to make a paper beer “can”, we are forced to add an internal plastic liner. When adding this plastic liner, the can becomes un recyclable. In order to problem solve, we came across the idea of having a separate plastic lining. This makes it possible to recycle all aspects of the beer “can”.
Beer can inspirations: Plastic beer cans
Paper beer cans resulted in the idea of using plastic. We eliminated the paper, and only used plastic. Most liquids that are stored in plastic casing are not carbonated. In order to keep the liquid carbonated, we would have to use a very thick plastic. Although plastic casing is very environmentally friendly, it is not seen to be eye appealing.
Beer can inspirations: Aluminum beer cans
Aluminum is the material that beer cans are typically made out of in America. aluminum isnt energy efficient, or environmentally friendly. Although these cans can be recycled later on, they are initially made out of virgin aluminum. This type of beer can isn’t as environmentally friendly as we would like to make our product.
Packaging/casing: Paper casing
Paper is easily recyclable. It needs to be able to hold the beers without breaking. We found various eye catching designs that inspired us to come up with a unique design. Paper casing is easy to carry and move around.
Packaging/casing: Reusable cases
Beer crates are used widely in supermarkets. In America most consumers don’t buy single beers and put them in crates. Crates would eliminate the use of beer packaging. Crates can be returned, reused, and recycled. To make crates more appealing when going to social events, we experimented with making crates of various sizes.
Packaging/casing: Magnetic
Carlsberg created the idea of having magnetic beers. This invention eliminated the need for beer packaging. This minimalistic look is eye appealing, and cost efficient. Magnetic beers restrict that amount of cans that you can carry together. No packaging makes it much harder for consumers to carry beers around comfortably. In order to work with this idea, modifications need to be made to meet the needs of beer drinkers. Handles would need to be added, and the ability to carry a larger number of beers needs to be modified.
Packaging/casing: Plastic
Plastic is a very strong material that would be able to hold at least 6 beers together. This casing isn’t good for carrying, as it doesn’t have any handles. Plastic tops restrict the variety of materials you can use for the beer cans. Although the look is very appealing to the eye, the beer can that we will be making won’t be made of a strong material such as aluminum. Therefore the can will likely fall out of the casing.
Product Development
Production
Overview: This beer can is your standard-sized beer size (12 FL oz / 355 ML)
Components: Recycled cardboard material as the outer shell, inner-lined with a Bio-based plastics composed of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), topped off with an aluminum foil pull tab to release the carbonation/oxygen from the can itself
1.- Recycled cardboard material for outer shell:
The molded fiber shell is made from 70% Old Corrugated Cardboard boxes (OCC) and 30% Old Newspapers (ONP)
2.- Bio-based plastic of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA):
According to the author Diederik van der Hoeven, and processed into yarns. They make excellent packaging materials, also for food packaging. They can be printed, sealed, painted. Mixing with other plastics will often improve the qualities of the latter. Because of its large variety, PHA can substitute almost all major plastics in many of their applications: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC, PET. PHAs can be processed to glues. Some kinds of PHA can be used as implants, the material will be entirely resorbed by the body in the course of time
3.- Aluminum foil:
Acordinf to the organization “WP”, recovering aluminum for recycling saves money and dramatically reduces energy consumption. The aluminum container recycling process saves 92 percent of the energy needed to produce aluminum from bauxite ore, according to EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM). Aluminum Foil Roll
Most of the rigid aluminum packaging recovered from the waste stream is used to manufacture new packaging, making aluminum packaging a closed loop recycled material.
Utilization
Our beer design is an easy to use, first step for the opening the can, the customer need to pull the aluminium tab, and then consume the liquid through drinking. After the customer have finished the liquid, it’s advised on the instructions in the design that you dispose of the aluminum tab and you can “bio-degrate” the beer can wherever is appropriate, thanks to the biodegradable materials of our design.
Functionality
A drink can (or beverage can) is a metal container designed to hold a fixed portion of liquid such as carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, fruit juices, teas, herbal teas, energy drinks, etc. Drink cans are made of aluminium (75% of worldwide production) or tin-plated steel (25% worldwide production). Worldwide production for all drink cans is approximately 370 billion cans per year worldwide.
Product life
The shelf life for the beer itself will last as long as the plastic and beer isn’t expired. Plastic should take up to 6 months, as well as beer.
After the consumption of our product, the life of the materials keeps going, but more further in this report we will explain more into detail.
Final Sketches
Final Product
After some compiled work between my team and I, we mocked up a 6-pack of eco-friendly beer cans with the vision of hoping for a better, cleaner, and beer-filled world. We decided to overview different materials to assess which ones would be compatible best with our beer. The 6-pack is stuck together via an adhesive, mimicked from Carlsberg’s Tallboy 6-pack as a way to combat the ill-disposed plastic can-rings that affect aquatic life.
Product Disposal
As our beer will include no artificial colors, stimulants, sugars, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, fluoride, or animal products, the only issue we meet in disposal is with the packaging.
As mentioned, the outer shell of the cans will be made from recycled cardboard, rather than aluminum, which can be energy intensive and difficult to recycle.
We have chosen to use only three main materials for a very specific reason- simplicity of eventual disposal. We have developed our product in the hopes that most consumers will choose to follow the instructions on the labels in order to reduce their carbon footprint, but it gets tricky when alcohol is involved.
With glass bottles, there is always a risk of them being thrown or dropped and broke, which results in possible danger from the sharp pieces to both consumers and the environment. In addition, glass shards can take up to a million years to naturally decompose in the environment.
Our bottles will reduce these risks, and be a very simple alternative for users. With the instructions and the perforations, the cans can be separated into their respective components easily for recycling.
In the case that they are still somehow thrown out of car windows, left on the beach, or end up anywhere other than a proper recycling plant, it isn’t the end of the world.
As mentioned in the Cambridge Sustainability Design Strategy Cards, the three most important steps to developing a product for clean disposal are using compostable materials,
facilitating composting, and facilitating the separation of non-degradable materials.
In the case that our BioBeer cardboard outer shell isn’t recycled properly, it will naturally decompose in water and sunlight over a relatively short amount of time.
The inner lining, made from compostable plastic. Compostable plastics are plastics that can be degraded by microbes to produce natural and non-toxic end products, like water and carbon dioxide, in a reasonable amount of time. The time needed to decompose completely depends on the material, environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture, and location of decomposition, but overall, decomposition can occur anywhere.
Product Retirement
Once the bubbly beverage has been consumed, the goal is that it will be incredibly easy for even a tipsy consumer to disassemble and recycle the respective components successfully.
The plastic will have a perforated edge along the aluminum tab and inner lining which will be easy to pull apart, and we only have three basic parts to dispose of. Ideally, people dispose responsibly, but even if they do not, these products for the most part degrade quickly in nature, and won’t pose any damage to sea or land animals.
New Life & Recycling
So what happens with our cardboard after it is recycled at a proper facility?
Recycled cardboard is a high quality material that can be used for all kinds of packaging, as mentioned. One of the most incredible perks of cardboard is that it can be recycled many times without losing any of its strength. Corrugated cardboard containers that are used for shipping have a very high percentage of post-consumer recycled content. If our containers make it to the recycling bin before they get wet or soiled, they are great source material for recycling. If they do become wet or soiled, also no problem! They can still be composted, along with the plastic lining.
What about the plastic lining?
Instead of using plastic made from petrochemicals and fossil fuels, our BioBeer compostable plastic will be derived from renewable materials like corn, potato, and tapioca starches, cellulose, soy protein, and lactic acid. Compostable plastics are non-toxic, and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass when composted. If they end up in a landfill, an ocean, or even the side of the road, they will decompose relatively quickly with some mild heat and sun exposure.
And the Aluminum?
The aluminum part of our cans will be the smallest of the three components! Once you pull the tab and throw it into a recycling bin, and it is delivered to a treatment plant, the aluminium can be sorted and cleaned ready for reprocessing. Then it is ready to go through a re-melt process where it will be turned into molten aluminium. Next, the aluminium from our tabs will join more aluminum from other products, and it will be made into large blocks, which are then sent to mills where they are rolled out. This step gives the aluminium much more flexibility and strength. Finally, this is then remade into aluminium products such as our can tabs. In as little as 6 weeks, the recycled aluminium tabs can make a full circle back to the shops, ready to be sold in the next crate.
Conclusion
When we were developing this product we looked through the eyes of a regular consumer, a beer drinker, who is trying to do better for the planet. Even though there is already quite sustainable option for beer in glass bottles, we got to realise that glass shards can take up to a million years to naturally decompose in the environment. And many times buying beer in glass bottles seems impractical, so we decided to develop another option. Even though we took Germany as our main market, we were thinking about others too, and drinking beer from bottles and then recycling them isn’t always the case.