Reclaiming Tires: Design Within Reach Style

As a part of Design Within Reach’s new business strategies, they’ve been pushing hard to get eco-friendly products to the market. This new product from their rubber tire line was inspired by by the fact that “Americans alone toss out about 300 million tires every year.” These products are modeled using ancient leather-crafting techniques and actually made in Egypt. They are hand-cut and hand-sewn wile being useable indoors and out for planters, carrying containers or simply durable storage. Each container is durable and unique, offering a functional alternative to the landfill. To quote the folks at Design Within Reach, “the big thinkers of the world are working on creative ways to reuse this vast quantity of rubber – ideas include mixing ground-up tires with urethane to create sidewalks or burning them like coal to produce energy.” Their goal is to take this concept to the consumer market, creating smaller but important opportunities for material reuse in the product design industry.

What is the Green Retail Experience?

This weekend and into early this week I browsed the International Home & Housewares Association show here in Chicago. The show consisted of a smattering of home appliances and products- new, old, and green. To my delight, the headlining topics of nearly all panel discussions and talks were focussed on the future of sustainability in product design. Two talks really stuck with me: “Green Today, Here Tomorrow: the emotional currency of sustainability”, and “Making it Happen: exhibitors panel discussion on sustainable materials”. The result was a cathartic dialogue I’d like to open up to you: what is the green retail experience?

My thoughts arose from questions presented from the buyers in the home appliance industry regarding the friction between novelty and sustainability. We have created through supply and demand, the experience of walking into a store and expecting to see new seasonal products. We anticipate seasonal colors, products, and innovation. This experience has resulted in a lot of new products developed in haste and without much regard for environmental responsibility. The question is, how can retailers maintain the “new” experience while being a sustainability leader.

Designer, professor, and sustainable materials panelist Hans Maier Aichen of Design Ideas suggests to define the evolution of a product through details. “We need to do less and do better”. As designers, we have a heavy responsibility. Today our industry is overflowing with an excess of products (this i witnessed at the show while passing manufacturers exhibiting, for example, every single microwave they produce- i saw walls of rice makers, toasters, coffee makers, microwaves all noticeably different but functionally similar), this excess has created cut-throat competition, and has resulted in unsustainable low prices.  As we move into the generation of green retail with responsible products, how do we lead by designing and formulating the green retail experience?

Ecolect & NAU meet up: Chicago

Dear Chicagoans,
Forward-thinking apparel company NAU will be hosting Ecolect’s “3rd Coast” launch party in your forward-thinking city on Friday, January 18. Please join us for product giveaways, sustainable material samples, local green designerati sightings, drinks, and hors d’oeurves (plus the introduction of new Ecolect site features). Let us know you’re coming; RSVP to party@ecolect.net.

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Sustainable Security Packaging

Secure Sales Solutions is a company based in West Saint Paul, Minesota which provides retail security packaging.

The company has recently created a series of what it calls “environmentally sustainable” solutions for retail security packaging.

” Our totally degradable Secure Sales Solutions ensure safe degradation/biodegradation once placed in an engineered landfill.

* The additives in our products do not contain any heavy metals, are non ecotoxic and accelerate the rate at which common plastics degrade.

* When our packaging solutions are recycled with other plastics, the process or the quality of the recycling are not influenced.

* Even though many plastic products are reused or recyled, the majority still end up in landfills after use. While conventional plastics take up much needed landfill space for many years to come, our products will biodegrade saving landfill space and reducing the impact on the environment.

* Our products become environmentally benign within a few months to a few years as compared to PVC “blister packs” or “clam shells” that take decades or longer.

* An additional benefit is the low cost. For approximately one cent, we can ensure your packaging is biodegradable and recyclable.”