The paper cup transformation battle also needs one, two and three steps: appreciation of award-winning works in Japan Packaging Competition in 2021

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why does the paper cup next door roll so badly?

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Text: Kelly Wang

Source: foodaily daily food (ID: foodaily)

How hard can it be to throw away a piece of garbage in Japan? Before the implementation of garbage classification in China, Chinese people seem to have no idea, but the simple action of “collecting and throwing” and then saying goodbye will also use brain power, understanding and memory at the same time. For example, for a common roof milk box, you usually need to clean the milk, separate the plastic nozzle, straw and other non paper packaging materials on the paper container, compress them, and then put them into different garbage bags to wait for the arrival of the garbage truck. If such cartons lined with aluminum are accidentally encountered, then they can only see their partners leave. The same is true for the disposal of green paper cups, not to mention the more troubling packaging such as plastic and spray bottles.

Source: Seal international com

The tedious cleaning process is annoying, and Japanese islanders can’t help but imagine: is there a paper cup and carton that can be directly flattened and thrown into the garbage bag? This is not only convenient and fast, but also respond to the national call to reduce carbon emissions, so as to achieve the “win-win” result once and for all?

As the saying goes, “laziness is the driving force of innovation”. Strict packaging classification and recycling system has also become a catalyst for packaging design inspiration. In the 2021 Japan Packaging contest, foodaily was pleasantly surprised to find a variety of interesting and “inert” paper packaging. These products born to meet various consumer needs have ingenious ideas and perfectly solved the consumer demands of pursuing convenience and sustainability. They have good reference significance and considerable commercial promotion value.

At present, the world is working together to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030. Designers use packaging to show their low-carbon ideal, and as connoisseurs and consumers, we also feel this love and persistence in the process of exploring the secret of packaging.

Next, let’s use three award-winning packaging to open the advanced road of paper cup transformation!

advanced level 1: school milk box without straw

School milk is a unique commodity in Japan, and its history can be traced back to 1946.

At that time, child malnutrition was a serious social and educational problem facing Japan. In order to solve this challenge, many organizations have cooperated to formulate Japan’s national school lunch plan. Although there was a brief stagnation after that, since it could actually improve the nutritional status of children and support the local dairy industry, the school feeding plan was passed after the introduction of carton packaging to ensure food safety and standardized nutritional ration. Today, it has become an integral part of Japanese society.

Source: pinterest

As the developer of the roof box, Nippon paper (Nippon Paper Industry Co., Ltd.) aims at this potential stock. It is not easy to say that the industry leader has maintained stability, but Japan Paper Industry Co., Ltd. has been breaking through itself: in the summer of 2020, Xile dairy, a subsidiary of the group, developed a milk carton schoolpop without straw ®。 The “roof” gap of ordinary roof carton is very narrow and it is difficult for fingers to insert. In contrast, this mini carton has carefully designed the lower part of the roof mold to facilitate finger insertion and easy opening. At the same time, the slope of the water outlet has also been adjusted by a unique grid line, so that customers can pour out liquid smoothly and drink directly. What is more gratifying is that there is no need to install a new filling machine for the product. It can be put into production only by replacing or adjusting some parts of the existing filling machine, and there is no need to take special measures for the packaging line.

Source: www.nipponpapergroup.com com

Schoolpop, which advocates “direct drinking” ® There is a huge demand mainly in the small container market such as school lunch milk. In addition to being easy to use, it can also reduce the use of disposable plastics and spread the concept of environmental protection to students.

Take the Kochi county school that first adopted this carton as an example. Its annual distribution of lunch paper wrapped milk is about 6 million bags. If the weight of each straw is 0.5g, it means that about 3 tons of resin will be consumed every year. Considering that junior students still use straws, schoolpop ® Straw holes are also retained. But even so, the number of straws used in the region will be reduced by 1 / 3, thus reducing the consumption of about 1 ton of resin, which is equivalent to manufacturing about 100000 Standard Specification PET bottles.

Such considerable social and commercial benefits also make schoolpop ® Won the award from the director of manufacturing industry of the Ministry of economics and industry in Japan star (Japan Star Packaging Award).

Source: www.nipponpapergroup.com com

It is reported that since its release, this Strapless milk carton has been adopted by schools in many regions. In addition to frequently receiving inquiries from direct customers (schools) and dairy manufacturers, it has also been favored by local governments, education committees, environmental related NPOs and other institutions. SchoolPOP ® It is marching towards the whole country of Japan with great momentum and unstoppable momentum.

Source: www.nipponpapergroup.com com

Japan Paper Industry Co., Ltd. takes “join hands with trees to open the future” as its corporate slogan, has been deeply engaged in the field of paper packaging for many years, and adheres to the concept of “what paper can do is solved with paper”. It has set up a number of R & D departments such as basic technology research institute, packaging research institute and Fuji Innovative Materials Research Institute, aiming to continuously explore more possibilities of producing paper containers from renewable resources “wood”. In addition to the schoolpop laboratory, nsatom Laboratory (the new concept of aseptic paper container filling system), spops Laboratory (replaceable cartridge paper bag) and mouth plug Laboratory (no inner cover and cap carton) belong to the “laboratory” series. Ordinary cartons have become “practical works of art” in this “laboratory”.

It is worth mentioning that roof box packaging is mostly used for pasteurized milk. These products need cold chain storage and transportation, with short shelf life, but less nutrient loss and strong freshness. In China, glass bottles, plastic bottles and plastic bags (single-layer polypropylene materials) are generally used for filling. From the perspective of sustainable development goals alone, the former is indeed slightly better.

Source: pexels

advanced level 2: no straw + no plastic cover

Take off the straw and the transformation of the paper cup has just started.

Originally referring to the golden combination of skin care, “early C and late a”, because the new solution once became a topic of public ridicule. As early as I live by coffee and sleep by alcohol at night, the daily life of urban people is perfectly summarized by simple words. But I have to say that coffee is playing an increasingly important role in the lives of the younger generation. According to AI media data, 95% of Chinese consumers surveyed have consumed coffee, 19.7% consume coffee every day and 60.0% consume coffee every week. It is estimated that the market scale of China’s coffee industry will reach 381.7 billion yuan in 2021.

The domestic coffee market continues to expand, and huge development space and consumption potential are emerging. But with the rise of coffee culture, it has encountered obstacles to easily drink rich and mellow coffee.

With the promulgation and strict implementation of the domestic “plastic ban order”, paper straws have been gradually banned, and plastic straws have stepped into many offline stores for tea and coffee. However, although the “Dynasty change” of the straw is in full swing, the noise is also parallel. Skeptics believe that there is pollution in the production process of paper straw, which not only has higher production cost, but also the degradation time after recycling is not ideal; For direct customers, Tucao, which is difficult to stamp, easy to soften and make complaints about the straw, has also been rushed to the hot search list. Businesses and enterprises immediately fell into a dilemma.

Source: pixabay

Japan is also studying the replacement of PET / resin straw, but on the other hand, the plastic cup cover, which also has a great impact on the environment, has not received active attention. Based on this, Takeo, a paper trading company, Japan Dixie, a paper cup manufacturer, and jimbocho glitch Coffee & roasters, one of the main promoters of the third wave of coffee in Tokyo, gathered together to cooperate on the basis of the previous exhibition works of product designer Shibata Wenjiang, and jointly created stackingpaperlid.

It is said that most of the taste is affected by smell. In order to maximize the aroma and flavor of coffee, the coffee in the hall is filled in open glass or ceramic cups; In order to facilitate carrying, the coffee to be taken out can only be confined under the cup cover. But this standard “paper folding cover” changes this situation: remove the cover when drinking and enjoy the aroma; When carrying, the paper cover with no discharge port can also prevent coffee overflow. In addition, the type of cigarette holder is also convenient to drink with the cover closed. The purpose is to let customers feel the taste and taste of coffee as delicately as possible.

Source: stackingpaperlid official website

Products that look so fashionable, simple and highly functional were actually born 14 years ago. But at that time, it was just a work of art for exhibition.

When the prototype of stacking paperlid was exhibited at the 2006 Wuxiong paper exhibition, people’s resistance to plastic was not as strong as today. On the contrary, it was an era when the price was high just because the paper cup was covered with a plastic cover. At that time, when Shibata Wenjiang (product designer) wanted to make something other than paper into paper, he came up with the idea of making the cover of the paper cup into paper.

The result of the actual attempt is not optimistic. Although the pulp mold can be realized, the cost is high… After repeated experiments, the person in charge accidentally found that the stacked paper cups are often difficult to pull out, so the inspiration of “stacking the paper cover and paper cup” immediately emerged. After the exhibition, Chaitian Wenjiang wanted to continue to promote in physical stores, but he was shut down one after another.

But the work survived.

In 2019, when the designed capsule hotel decided to provide paper cups with lids for guests to drink water, Shibata Wenjiang and Mr. takewei talked about this work again. After discussion between the two sides, Mr. Takeo introduced the paper cup manufacturer Japan Dixie to Shibata Wenjiang. Works of art thus transformed into commodities on the assembly line.

However, when the exhibition works become products actually used by people, their design must also be transformed into materials and sizes that are convenient for production, and pollution should be reduced as much as possible. At first, Chaitian Wenjiang imagined using colored paper to convey brand characteristics, but the dyes used were not conducive to food hygiene; He also envisaged the use of thinner and less flavored paper, but gave up the idea considering the forming process of the paper itself… Many failed attempts made Chaitian Wenjiang feel that it is indeed a difficult thing to implement the designed products into the actual industrial production.

But the good thing is that hard work pays off. After continuous improvement, this product won the award of the packaging department in the 2021 Japan packaging design competition, which is also a great affirmation of its efforts.

Source: Dixie official website

“Now is an era when we hope that we can use items that do not produce waste. Although it is difficult to design something that has never existed before, the goal of environmental protection can be achieved only by changing the use method of the original items. Therefore, we also hope that this work can become an opportunity.” Chaitian Wenjiang said so.

According to the official website, there are still some problems in mass production of stacked paper cups, but the person in charge of the company said that he was considering using new equipment for production. At the same time, researchers are also developing a paper cup that can be recycled as a single material to replace the currently used polyethylene waterproof “cup base paper” paper cup.

advanced level 3: edible coffee paper cup

When the straw disappears and the stacked paper cover replaces the plastic cover, how can the paper cup be transformed?

Just eat it! Completely change the “one-time” consumption behavior and kill three birds with one stone!

Previously, the signature “oatmeal cookie latte” of the boutique coffee “m stand” was popular in Mordor. Cookies baked with natural grains are eaten together with a mellow latte. The novel operation makes an endless stream of customers go to punch in. But the sweet and greasy biscuits and coffee go down together, and the feeling of satiety is naturally unspoken; In order to be easy to take, a layer of plastic cup has to be put on the outside of the biscuit cup. This novel coffee cup is more creative than practical after all.

Source: m stand official website

However, Mo ぐカップッップゴゴカッッップッッびッびびゴカ The slogan not only combines creativity and practicality, but also realizes the goal of sustainable development.

Moku cup, which won the reward from the packaging department, is a beverage container made of potato starch made in Japan. Through continuous baking under high temperature and high pressure, the cup maintains water resistance; At the same time, developers also use shrimp and chocolate for seasoning, and designed different sizes of S (50ml is suitable for wine and whisky), m (100ml is suitable for wine and sake) and l (200ml is suitable for beer and fruit juice), aiming to provide customers with a variety of taste matching options.

In addition, the application scenario of “magic ancient Cup” is far more than restaurants. In addition to serving drinks, it can also be used for outdoor, barbecue, activities, family gatherings and other occasions. Without washing, it can even reduce a certain amount of water consumption.

Source: rkcmpd eria org

In the official website of the product, through the vivid and interesting comics, we see the birth story of the magic ancient Cup: Mr. Kuhara of Asahi Beer wants to design an environmentally friendly cup that does not need to be discarded after use. However, considering that some consumers may be resistant to carrying the used container with them, he thought, “how about designing a cup that can be eaten directly?”. Of course, since they are edible, the materials must be delicious and water-resistant. Later, after a large amount of material collection, Mr. Guyuan found an edible dinner plate called eat tray, and then contacted the pill and fruit making company that made this product to jointly develop new products. Finally, after months of efforts, the magic ancient cup was born.

Marfan fruit is a technology company that manufactures and sells original edible trays and ice cones. So far, the company has developed and manufactured a number of edible products including edible trays, and plans to develop a series of edible products such as forks and spoons. Similar to the tray, the production of magic ancient cup also goes through three main steps: mixing, stirring and precipitation of raw materials – inverted mold – high-temperature firing and molding, and finally products suitable for the intended use can be obtained.

Mogu cup aims to solve the climate crisis caused by the increase of carbon dioxide emissions, marine pollution caused by disposable plastics and other social problems. Through the development of magic ancient cup, the company delivers a new lifestyle from “disposable container” to “edible container”, and shapes a sustainable corporate image.

Prior to this, Mori のタンララアサヒビルルアヒビル (Asahi Beer Co., Ltd.) was another innovation. This environmental cup jointly developed with Panasonic is the world’s first ecological cup made of plant fiber. Similarly, adhering to the concept of “reducing one-time consumption”, it is not only conducive to cleaning and repeated use, but also has high strength and heat resistance. The slight concave convex on the plant fiber cup wall can produce small bubbles and increase the taste of beer. Moreover, its raw materials are from discarded resources such as thinned wood and food residues. Asahi Beer can be said to be the ultimate in green and environmental protection.

Source: sports for social com

However, I want to remind you that the magic ancient cup is not like the forest tumbler. Don’t use it to hold hot drinks, or you will get a pool of chocolate flavored potato paste!

summary

The three packages described above take paper as the core material. On the basis of retaining the basic characteristics of low-carbon and environmental protection, the use performance (such as firmness, waterproof, etc.) and convenience have been improved.

Maybe they don’t have amazing appearance, but they are impeccable in practicability. Behind each package is the unremitting efforts of designers and developers in the pursuit of “excellence and perfection”.

Packaging creativity is not only to attract attention, but also to impress people. Taking user needs as the starting point is an old-fashioned view, but it is also a topic that enterprises should always study.

How to make the world better, how to make life better? Start with the packaging transformation around you!

About Japan Packaging contest:

Japan Packaging contest is held annually by Japan Packaging Institute (Japan Packaging Technology Association), a public welfare organization. It covers products from single packaging to outer packaging, that is, consumer goods packaging and transportation packaging. It aims to develop and disseminate excellent packaging products and technologies that can meet the needs of the current era and society. The winning works of the competition can not only be displayed at the packaging Commodity Exhibition hosted by the association, but also be allowed to use the GP logo (Japan excellent packaging certification logo). At the same time, they will also be eligible to participate in the Asian Star Competition (sponsored by the Asian Packaging Federation (APF)) and the world star competition (sponsored by the World Packaging Organization (WPO)) and shine on the world stage.

Cover image source: pinterest

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