"Save Paste" is sustainable toothpaste tube
Made with cardboard, the packaging, which is still just a concept, avoids waste and emissions
Conventional toothpaste packaging is made of plastic (75%) and aluminum (25%). And, despite being able to be recycled, the tube must be sent capped for the collection process so as not to contaminate other products or the water itself with that little bit of paste that we never managed to get out of it.
Thinking about the environmental, logistical and practical problems caused by this type of packaging, design students at London University of the Arts, Sang Min Yu and Wong Sang Lee, developed a new concept. A package made of plastic and cardboard-type paper, which does not need a second package for protection and still allows full use of the content, without the user having to keep squeezing the tube.
Cardboard, like plastic, is also recyclable. Composed of paper, aluminum and polyethylene, it is mixed with water and then undergoes a thermal process to have the three parts separated. The paper can again be used in the production of cardboard, sheets and insoles, for example. Plastic, in the production of plates and tiles for civil construction or returning to the foundry industry. And polyethylene is turned into paraffin and used in detergents or as fuel.
In addition to reducing the amount of paper used and continuing to be a recyclable package, the logistics of transporting the product are made easier. More packages are transported at once, reducing the use of trucks and, consequently, CO2 emissions. In addition, the product can be used until the end, avoiding waste and dirt.
This is a concept, so only a few prototypes have been created. But it's an excellent idea that all toothpaste companies should look into.
- How to discard toothpaste tube?
Check out some explanatory photos of the concept:
