London-based design firm PriestmanGoode, which specializes in travel and transport design, has developed an incentive-based food-delivery system called Zero. The scheme encourages consumers to use and return bioplastic food containers to takeaway restaurants.
PriestmanGoode aims to change throwaway habits by offering an attractive alternative for single-use fast-food boxes and bags. These items would be made entirely from sustainable materials, including pineapple husk, mycelium, and cocoa bean shells.
Zero’s boxes mimic Japanese bento boxes and Indian tiffin, which involve placing each container on top of the other, with the lid of one acting as the base for another. These types of containers eliminate the need for multiple individual covers.
The scheme would work on a customer-loyalty basis. Consumers pay a low fee for the packaging when ordering food and would be reimbursed when the containers are brought back to the delivery service provider on their next delivery. The food provider would then wash the packaging before being used again.
PriestmanGoode was initially driven to redesign food delivery to reduce the convenience culture’s environmental impact. However, it has become considerably relevant as the pandemic’s social distancing rules have forced restaurants to turn to takeaway to serve their customers. “Redesigning food delivery has become even more important now, as there has been a rise in at-home dining,” noted Jo Rowan; PriestmanGoode’s associate director of strategy.
Rowan said:
It presents an opportunity for design to create something that can contribute to a sense of occasion that is beautiful, practical, and sustainable. As a society, we have to move away from a culture of disposables and focus on principles of the circular economy.
The firm explored various food-safe materials to replace the plastic containers currently used for takeaway and deliveries. It also tested the materials for crucial qualities such as insulation, heat-proof, recyclability, and lightweight.
Zero is made up of a collaboration of designers including:
- Paula Nerlich would develop the body of the containers from a bioplastic made of by-products from the cacao industry. The material is partially made of cocoa bean shells separated from the bean during the roasting process and would otherwise be thrown away.
- Design firm Ty Syml would make the takeaway delivery bag’s insulation using mycelium. The bag lid would be made of Piñatex – a leather alternative made from cellulose fibers extracted from pineapple leaves.
- Crafting Plastics would make the bag’s outer layer from the biodegradable Nuatan material, made of waste cooking oil, sugar, and corn starch. Nuatan can withstand extreme temperatures of over 212°F (100°C.)
- Yulex would develop the food container and bag handles out of a plant-based neoprene-type rubber called Lexcell.
- Designer Margarita Talep would create algae-based plastic to replace the clingfilm currently used to cover trays of food to prevent spillage.
Rowan explained:
Provided with the right incentives, we know that consumers are willing and able to quickly modify their behaviors to more sustainable patterns. Introducing a reward-based system, whereby consumers would be given incentives, such as discounts, for returning takeaway packaging into the system, we know would have a positive impact.
Before PriestmanGoode noticed how vital a takeaway system would be during the pandemic, the firm developed an eco-friendly version of the traditional economy in-flight meal tray. Their goal was to help airlines cut down on their plastic waste. The meal trays were made from coffee grains, algae, and banana leaves.
