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Phase: Ideas Opportunity Areas: Products to People – Reimagine Delivery Models

REthinkHYDRATION

The reusable vessel that rehydrates product concentrate, dramatically reducing plastic usage and the carbon foot print for future liquids.

Photo of Touch Packaging Innovation Sherlock
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Liquids are packaged and shipped across the globe and consumed across all areas of human life. With more than two million tonnes of throwaway plastic bottles shipped and sold per year in the global soft drink industry alone, liquid usage is a significant drain on resources. Touch are developing the Next Generation in liquid packaging solution: a reusable vessel used in conjunction with revolutionary concentrate container – see illustrations. The reusable bottle is filled with water, the concentrate container is slotted into it, and the product concentrate inside is then rehydrated via a mixing chamber in the reusable cap. After use, the bottle & cap can be used again, and the  concentrate container is disposed of. The concentrate container uses up to circa 80% less plastic packaging than a conventional liquid packaging per use, requires up to circa 85% less transport volume & weight, and is large enough to be detected and collected for recycling. 


NOTE: Although we know this brief is NOT aimed at reinventing large formats, in thinking about how we could increase the value of smaller plastic components to be reused/recycled themselves, our ideation lead us to consider the way in which liquid packaging could be totally transformed. Reimagining liquid packaging as we have in REthinkHYDRATION means not only creating behaviour change around reuse/recycle - but has also lead us to consider how liquid product is currently shipped around the world, causing the FMCG industry to generate huge carbon foot-prints across liquid product portfolios. As liquid product is predominantly made from water, there would be incredible benefits from hydrating locally at the point of use. This would mean not having to ship liquid–diluted product from the factory to the point of use, and shipping just the concentrate would require just a fraction of the size, therefore revolutionising the liquid product industries altogether…

Idea Title

Revolutionising the way liquids are delivered, consumed & disposed of globally

Company / Organization Name

Touch Packaging Innovation

Website

http://www.touchpackdesign.com/

Where are you / your team located?

Maidenhead, UK

How does this Idea redesign unrecyclable small format plastic items that often end up as waste?

The reusable vessel element eliminates the need for disposable bottles & lids. The concentrate container element is both entirely recyclable and constructed of more valuable plastic, and larger volume of plastic vs sachets. The concentrate container is stackable to make it easy to manage waste products after use, taking up far less space in outbound and waste supply chains in the 1st world, and producing far more ease and value in waste sorting and collection in the 3rd world.

Which use cases does your Idea apply to?

Lucas relies on the convenience of that takeaway food offers on the way to and from work. The new lightweight concentrate containers would contain branded drink products allowing Lucas to vary his cold beverage each day, whilst reusing the main vessel either by carrying it or keeping it at work. Nigel's litter collection job would be easier and provide a larger economic dividend for collection. Trevor and Benjamin would be able to vary the drinks they enjoy OTG with far less plastic packaging.

In what geographical context or area does your Idea plan to operate / solve?

We have developed this solution in response to the vast & increasing single-use liquid consumption across multiple categories - around the globe.

How do you envision scaling up your Idea?

After developing a successful proof of principle prototype that would require concept development and investment, we would be able to identify the initial industries that could adopt the format most suitably for their product. Based on our experience of major brands and manufactures of liquid products across the FMCG world, we envisage the the beverage or detergent industries being the earliest adopters. The science & format technology could be scaled up to work for other industries after pilot.

At what stage of development is your Idea?

  • Research & Early Testing: You are exploring an idea, gathering inspiration and information needed to test it with real users.

Please describe how becoming a Top Idea and working with the Think Beyond Plastics Accelerator Program will help to accelerate your solution.

We envision working with the EMF to help link our specialist creative and technical product and packaging innovation expertise with expert EMF partners to develop the concept through to prototype. Although ambitious, we are familiar with R&D specialists who have looked at similar technologies on a far smaller scale, (to no avail due to market size and the challenge of consumer behaviour change). We would benefit from the expertise of EMF to gather momentum & interest amongst industry leaders.

Please describe from where your Idea emerged

Many of our clients come to us with the challenge of packaging their liquids in a sustainable way. Thus, for the past few years we have been developing potential solutions for shipping, delivering, consuming and disposing of liquids taking into account the multi-facetted global sustainability challenge. This idea has emerged as having significant potential – but requires more than one manufacturer to make the investment in such a radical future technology and supply chain workable.

Tell us about your work experience

In the last 2 years our work for clients such us Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Nestle Waters, Highland Spring and Carlsberg Group has led to major innovation in bottle and beverage packaging.

Please describe your legal and organizational structure

Touch design is a privately owned limited company with two major share holders.

Inspired by (1)

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FOUNT
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This inspired (2)

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