OpenIDEO
Cancel
OpenIDEO is an open innovation platform. Join our global community to solve big challenges for social good. Sign Up / Login or Learn more
Phase: Ideas Opportunity Areas: Products to People – Reimagine Delivery Models

Using the packaging process followed in rural indian villages

In Indian villages salt etc are packed in newspaper. The shopkeeper will follow similar process if we provide shampoo as powder in a sack.

Photo of mitin anand
0 3

Written by

In rural indian village stores, shopkeepers generally display all their products like rice, salt, chilli powder etc in a sack. The buyer comes and examines the quality of the grain or powder and orders him the amount required. The shopkeeper then weighs the required amount and then packs it in a newspaper and ties it using choir thread. Shopkeepers generally maintains different sized newspaper cutouts and choir threads for the purpose of packaging. He/She is already trained in packaging powered products like salt, chilli powder etc using newspaper and thread. Packaged chilli powder etc are costly for the Rural population so they generally prefer the powders that comes from local mills etc. The local mills generally supply it to the shopkeeper in large sacks. 

If we could supply shampoo etc in powdered format and supply it to these shopkeepers in sacks, the same way how local mills supply chilly powder etc. Then the shopkeeper would employ the same method of packaging for shampoo powders as well. This avoids the use of plastic for packaging and hence the plastic waste. 

Idea Title

Its time to sack shampoo

Website

Malvika - https://www.behance.net/malvika Mitin - http://www.coroflot.com/mitinanand/portfolio

Where are you / your team located?

Bangalore, India

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

This idea completely eliminates the use of sachets for packaging for rural indian population. Hence it could be a final goodbye to sachets for rural indian population

Which use cases does your Idea apply to?

Single-use sachets for liquid consumer products like shampoos are difficult to sort and recycle. They consequently end up as litter and often clog drainage systems. This solution is applicable for rural indian communities. For people who can't afford buying necessities in bulk, who consume shampoo sachets on a daily/regular basis (due to income constraints).

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

For rural Indian population

How do you envision scaling up your Idea?

The idea is currently for shampoo sachets. We could definitely scale it up for other liquid sachet products that are sold in the rural indian communities.

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.

This program would give us the opportunity to conduct user testing, see the engagement levels, and tweak the solution where necessary. The system can first be tested locally with a mock-up run involving a few local shops and documenting the consumers' responses to this system. It can then be scaled up. The next step would be to show the results of our pilot run program to large companies selling shampoo. They would definitely consider the solution as it would reduce their packaging cost

Please describe from where your Idea emerged

The idea evolved from a brainstorming session

Tell us about your work experience

malvika- product designer, worked with a variety of products & systems : research-concept-market mitin- product designer, mechanical engineer & design and development consultant for start-ups
View more

This inspired (2)

Re-Imagining the Re-Filling Station
Re-Imagining the Re-Filling Station
Protecting the balance of the environment by eliminating harmful waste project .
Protecting the balance of the environment by eliminating harmful waste project .

0 comments

Join the conversation:

Comment