Ba Product Design Final report

8/10/2019 Ba Product Design Final report

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University of Wales Institute, Cardiff

School of Product & Engineering Design

BA (Hons) Product Design

Evaluation Document

Energy gel packaging

Author: Adam Price

Supervisor: Dr Stephen Thompson

Date of Presentation: Dec 16 2011

Word Count: 7,848


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Table of Contents

1 Table of Contents

Section 1: Research ______________________________________________ 2

2 Abstract / Summary ___________________________________________ 4

3 Introduction _________________________________________________ 5

4 The Need for a New Design _____________________________________ 6

5 Outline Project Brief __________________________________________ 7

6 Market Research ______________________________________________ 8

6.1 Secondary Research ________________________________________ 9

6.2 Analysis of Secondary Research _____________________________ 11

6.3 Primary Research __________________________________________ 12

6.4 Analysis of Primary Research ________________________________ 11

7 Project Management Plan _____________________________________ 19

8 Section 1 Conclusions _______________________________________ 20

9 Product Performance Specification 22

10 Revised / Expanded Product Design Brief 23

Section 2: Evaluation ____________________________________________ 24

11 Design concepts ____________________________________________ 25

12 3D Design Development ______________________________________ 28

13 Detailed design _____________________________________________ 29

14 Design Evaluation ___________________________________________ 29

15 Evaluation conclusions 39

16 References and/or Bibliography ________________________________ 46

16.1 References _____________________________________________ 51

16.2 Bibliography ____________________________________________ 53

17 Appendices ________________________________________________ 55


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Section 1: Research


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2 Abstract/Summary

This report is part experimental to test out the open innovation process, on a product

problem. (Lingeraard, 2010) The report documents the research carried out and how it

influenced the design at different stages. It explains the open innovation process

(Lingeraard, 2010) and is structured around the parameters set out in that process.

It sets out the important aspects to be considered in the final design: Provides an insight

into current products, the problems faced with them, the materials they use, their

manufacture, distribution, use, maintenance and the end of life treatment of the final design

solution.


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3 Introduction

This product design project aims to develop a new way to package sports energy gels.

Structured around an open innovation process, (Lingeraard, 2010) utilising interdisciplinary

collaboration this project is centred on the process of developing a new product alongside

an industrial partner; Torq Fitness.

The user feedback will be drawn from the competitive mountain biking community to tap into

their embodied expertise from extensive use and therefore familiarity with the problems

inherent in current energy gel packaging. The project will be orchestrated to develop a way

in which the community can engage with these problems and with a number of parameters

identified by myself with the intention of realising an innovative product solution, which Torq

would like to compete with a product marketed by 'Unette' which virtually monopolises the

market. In the process of the project Torq will also provide information on the constraints of

their nutrition product. The role of the designer will be to understand the situation, to activate

the intellectual insight of the user community and to resolve this in terms of a practical and

realistic design solution with Torq.

This report explains the open innovation process (Lingeraard, 2010) and is structured

around the parameters set out in that process. It therefore:

Outlines the undertaken to date, and sets out the important aspects to be considered in the

final design:

Provides an insight into current products, the problems faced with them, the materials they

use, their manufacture, distribution: Sets out the parameters of use, maintenance and the

end of life treatment of the likely design solution.

Since this process is in part experimental, the success of the process will be measured by

the design and success of the open innovation process itself in the project as well as by the

resolution of the final product solution.


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4 The Need for a New Design

Torq fitness need to compete with a product marketed by Unette which virtually monopolises the

market.

Unette has been manufacturing in the same way for 40years now since they bought out the

innovative design of the single use saran tube.During the early 1990's which has become the

specialty platform for the company's activity and remains so today in many guises.

Times have changed, awareness of the effects of climate change are ever more apparent. Another

big change in the last 40years has been in the internet there are now Well over a billion people

using the internet, which is changing peoples attitude from its not my problem to realising the global

community. Harvard business professor estimates the internet has a $1.4trillion economic impact

annually in the United States alone. The awareness of the global community has led to greater

consumer intentions to buy green products. There has been a significant increase in the sales of

green products from 2010 to 2011 alone, the market has increased massively since the 1990s and

the market is continuing its growth.

(Environmentalleader, 2010)

As shown in the chart one of the largest green product markets is packaged food. The sustainable

packaging market is growing much faster than the overall packaging industry, and is expected to

double in size from 88 billion in 2009 to 170 billion in 2014. (Research, 2010)

TheGrowth drivers include increased awareness of environmental hazards related to disposal

and recycling of packaging wastes, government initiatives to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions, and stringent regulations.


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Torq fitness needs to keep up with consumer demand for sustainable packaging and by doing so will

also help compete in the market with Unette as. 42% of Executives say Green Practices help

edge out the competitors. (OXOFilm, 2011)

Process

The 20th Century innovation process used by the competitor Unette isnt keeping up with the

increase in social and sustainably innovation which has happened in the 21st Century.

Tim Berners-Lees vision of the World Wide Web was for a tool which created and gathered

knowledge through human interaction and collaboration. His vision has been realised. The web has

evolved from web 1.0 to web 2.0 from focus on company to focus on community from owning

content to sharing content from advertising to word of mouth from read only to read and write web.

As the internet has developed there is a new interconnectedness/global community which has led to

the re-invention of research and innovation there is now open innovation you can see the key

differences in the image above.

The world will not evolve past the current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the

situation.Albert Einstein.

To successfully cater the need for a new sustainable way to package energy gels a new way of

innovation is needed.

From Charles leadbeaters book We:Think and Debbie Powell illustration, show the same shift from

pyramid to web.


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5 Outline Project Brief

To design a socially responsible energy gel package that pushes sustainable innovation in

the industry and increases performance for the user.


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6 Market Research: Open Innovation

6.1 Secondary Research

As mentioned in the introduction this report is structured around the open innovation

processbut what is it?It is a way of capitalizing on the internets inherent possibilities of

collective intelligence. Interdisciplinary collaboration and social networks provide all the

potential benefits of millions of people sharing a virtual space. It is the process of borrowing

all the really good parts of many different ideas and reforming them into something new.

Open innovation is a quicker innovation process that provides competitive unpredictability

the term itself will disappear in the future and just be innovation. (Lingeraard, 2010)

Why is the internet important for open innovation?

Web 2.0 with social networks, forums, and blogging are connecting us in a multitude of

ways with almost unlimited potential connections. The webs extreme openness, has the

capacity to generate untold possibilities for collaboration because it allows more people to

share ideas with more people in more ways. (Leadbeater, 2008)

A visual of the internet, captures the interconnection. (Opte.org, 2003)


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Josephine Green seminar Cardiff

A seminar by Josephine Green in Cardiff 2010 provided the spark for this design research

which is founded in open innovation. Green argues that in the West we are going through a

paradigm shift from a pyramid model of market innovation towards a pancake model of

sustainable social innovation. The differences of the two are illustrated below. The image on

the right has a strong resemblance to thewww.pyramids2pancakes.commovement image,

others have acknowledged the same shift rather than pancake others describe it as a mesh

or a web.Either way they portraying the shift from a linear controlled process to a non-linear

open process.

to

(Leadbeater, 2008)

(source, 2011) (Pyramid2pancake, 2011)

(Green, Whats it all about?, 2008)
http://www.pyramids2pancakes.com/http://www.pyramids2pancakes.com/http://www.pyramids2pancakes.com/http://www.pyramids2pancakes.com/


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Josephine highlights the differences between the two.

The market Society

Market innovation Social and sustainable innovation

Technology and R &D People and communities

Experts/professionals Partners and value network

Hierarchical Networked

Command Open

Top down Bottom up

Competition Collaboration

Standardizing complexity Distributing complexity (Green, 2011)

Innovation is shifting from a process we believe we can control to accepting the complexity

of the problems facing the 21stcentury and getting everyone involved in an open innovation

process to focus on the problems, needs and issues and working them out together.

Moving away from innovation being secretive and kept behind locked doors to being open

participatory and collaborative. The lone genius cant compare to the capabilities of

collective intelligence and unlimited possibilities of interdisciplinary collaboration today.

People are good at different things in different ways, open innovation is about getting the

right person to work on the right job.

Shift from Market innovation to Social and Sustainable innovation

The main shift is away from market innovation. GDP is a measurement of the market value

of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given period. The GDP takes only

one measure of progress into account: activity, economic activity. But what sensible person

would call the effects of an oil spill progress? (Cradle to Cradle , 2009)


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As the graph GDP shows market innovation increases the Economic activity produced by

businesses selling the function of their products and services but does not take into account

the cost of pollution from distribution and other unsustainable costs.

Example of distribution of a Sonicare Elite 7000 electric toothbrush

Produced in 11 locations and in five time zones, comprised of 38 components, parts

supplied by Japan, France, China and Malaysia, materials and production in Austria,

Sweden, assembly in Philippines and United States, when fully assembled and packaged in

Seattle the components have travelled a full 27,880 kilometres, two thirds of the Earth's

circumference. (Source: SPIEGEL Magazine)

The product ended up travelling 27,880kilometres which isnt sustainable; it is however the

most cost effective way of producing the toothbrush. The toothbrush itself costs 15.00

however this cost does not reflex the true environmental cost.

The movement is therefore away from market innovation towards sustainable and social

innovation whereThe creation of social outputs and outcomes based upon social needs

and aspirations creating solutions that accrue to society as a whole as well as individuals.

(Green, 2011)


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User feedback

For some reasonmanufacturers have had difficulty getting direct feedback from

customers about product design. Consumer data is still in its infancy Kodak where lucky to

get 1% of their warranty cards returned. Manufacturers are however becoming increasingly

aware of user problems and proclivities. User feedback can drive forward innovations.

(Gansky, 2010)

Age of transparency

Consumers are also becoming aware of the catch 22s; for example consumers can now find

out the true cost of Britains clean wind power which creates disastrous pollution in China

with toxic lakes from rare earth processing plants which process neodymium. A rare

material found in China which is a key component of a wind turbine.(Scotland, 2011)

(Scotland, 2011)

The ethical consumer mays take opposing effects of products into account when purchasing

and more than likely consider an alternative. Consumer data is increasing as we progress

intoan age of radical transparency. The more transparent a market, economic theory

holds, the healthier it will be.(Golman, 2009)


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Trust is built through honesty. Brands which are honest about their manufacture and

practises, will gain consumer trust. In the age of transparency and social intelligence

brands will be honest as news of bad practise can spread across twitter like wild fire, ruining

a brand reputation.

Eco Design- Product life cycle mapping

Life cycling thinking is an important aspect of eco design and due to the unsustainable

nature of the packaging to develop a new way of packaging the product in a sustainable

way an eco-design approach will be taken becauseOften the majority of the impacts of

products are hidden from designers and users. These include impacts at the raw materials

stage and what happens to the product after it has been disposed of.(Rafferty, 2010)

(Rafferty, 2010)


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Research into all 5 areas has been done to ensure the design decisions are made being

well informed of all potential environmental impacts.

>>>>>>> (Please refer to Appendices D-Eco design and onwards)


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6.2 Analysis of secondary research

The research has shown (i) the unsustainable nature of the packaging and (ii) the antisocial

and un-ecological disposal of the packaging by mountain bikers.

Going into this project research I was optimistic about the potential for a natural or

biodegradable material innovation for the packaging. The quest for a magic material that is

commercially viable which provides the required shelf life and biodegrades when told too,

was a never ending one.

The research revealed bio plastics are improving into the future and are set to increase in

performance as oil for regular plastic depletes.

As research in to current products was done a realisation of how unsustainable the

packaging was became clear. >

I will need to think outside of the packaging box to develop a realistic design that solves the

litter problems. Research has shown how important behaviour change is to the project and

that a product solution may end up being based around the incentives it provides the user to

take their litter home.

The research has also shown the almost unlimited potential connections in a multitude of

ways with consumers, manufacturers, engineers, anthropologists and journalists, allowing

for a whole host of Interdisciplinary collaboration and holistic design thinking.

>>>


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6.3 Primary Research- Open Innovation parameters

This report is based around the parameters of open innovationwhereWeb 2.0 is used to

capitalize on the embodied expertise within the competitive mountain biking community

through the use of social networks and forums a survey is shared to tap into their expertise

that they have gained from extensive use and therefore familiarity with the problems

inherent in current energy gel packaging.

By doing this open innovation brings the users straight from the back end of the innovation

process to the front end. The first step in the Open innovation design process is to gain user

feedback by.addressing the community.

Hey Singletrack forum,

I was hoping to get a little bit of feedback from the wealth of knowledge that is theSingletrack forum!I'm an industrial design student from UWIC Cardiff and am starting my final yearundergraduate project which is aiming to improve energy gel packaging usability andsustainability.I'd love any feedback and have put together a quick questionnaire that I would be hugelyappreciative if everyone could click and answer a quick 10 question survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RDC2MXC

Many Thanks! Feel free to pm me or message me if you have any advice.

Accordingly the surveyhttp://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RDC2MXC was posted onto

cycling community forums on UK, American, Australian and Canadian sites. It was emailed

directly to magazine editors and Elite athletes to fill out and posted onto cycling club pages

on Facebook.

The survey had a response of 100 people within the week and then grew to 200 over the

coming month.

>>>>> (For full survey results please refer to the online submitted report)


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Forum links

www.xcracer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5665 25 posts along with over 1,297 views

www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/182500/

http://roadcyclinguk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123658&p=337292#post3372317views

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/energy-gel-packaging 74 posts & 33 voices

www.cyclechat.net/threads/energy-gel-packaging.87480/ 264 Views

http://forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22759&p=134354&hilit=energy+gel&sid

=f07c784de9e4b7601b9cc7e69fbc1796#p134354 278 Views

http://boards.core77.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=25585142 Views no comments

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56291&p=471618&hilit=energy+gel+packaging

#p471618 418 Views

Cardiff Ajax cycling club Facebook page 356 Members where Mark Alexander kindly

tweeted it to 143 people.
http://www.xcracer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5665http://www.xcracer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5665http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/182500/http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/182500/http://roadcyclinguk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123658&p=337292#post3372http://roadcyclinguk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123658&p=337292#post3372http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/energy-gel-packaginghttp://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/energy-gel-packaginghttp://www.cyclechat.net/threads/energy-gel-packaging.87480/http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/energy-gel-packaging.87480/http://forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22759&p=134354&hilit=energy+gel&sid=f07c784de9e4b7601b9cc7e69fbc1796#p134354http://forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22759&p=134354&hilit=energy+gel&sid=f07c784de9e4b7601b9cc7e69fbc1796#p134354http://forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22759&p=134354&hilit=energy+gel&sid=f07c784de9e4b7601b9cc7e69fbc1796#p134354http://boards.core77.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=25585http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56291&p=471618&hilit=energy+gel+packaging#p471618http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56291&p=471618&hilit=energy+gel+packaging#p471618http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56291&p=471618&hilit=energy+gel+packaging#p471618http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56291&p=471618&hilit=energy+gel+packaging#p471618http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56291&p=471618&hilit=energy+gel+packaging#p471618http://boards.core77.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=25585http://forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22759&p=134354&hilit=energy+gel&sid=f07c784de9e4b7601b9cc7e69fbc1796#p134354http://forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22759&p=134354&hilit=energy+gel&sid=f07c784de9e4b7601b9cc7e69fbc1796#p134354http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/energy-gel-packaging.87480/http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/energy-gel-packaginghttp://roadcyclinguk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123658&p=337292#post3372http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/182500/http://www.xcracer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5665


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The community know the market best so they where asked.

Above are the brands that where not listed in the survey which users recommended taking a

look at. The chart below shows which brands are most popular in the UK. It shows the 3

strongest brands clearly, SIS and TORQ are two that use Unettes Saran Tube.


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Existing Products

>>>>> (Please refer to Appendices A for existing products reviews)


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To test user honesty I then asked

.this question tests the idea that users when questioned in this way will tell you what

they think you want to hear rather than tell you there true behaviour. Some honest

responces where displayed though with 50% of users admitting they throw gels on the

floor. A response from 170 showed they felt reluctant to pocket a sticky gel. This

imparticular reflects the benefit to be gained from a product which gives the user an

incentive to not drop litter.

A worrying response from one user was they put the used packet into recycling the current

products cant be recycled andwill contaminate the recyclate downcycling the plastic.


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Identifying the Problem

To generate innovation in this project the designer must be an active agent. The designer

must actively seek to identify user problems and fully understand the complexity of them.

The open innovation process recognises and acknowledges the inadequacy of a single

designer as an agent in this process.

The first step is to address this problematic, the open innovation process suggests that the

social intelligence of many agents in a community are better placed to identify problems

rather than a single designer. The designer then acts as a catalyst in that community to

enable it to identify its own needs and problems.

By then extracting the user feedback from the survey the project can be orchestrated to

develop in a way in which the community can engage with the problems that have been

identified.

Above are the top ten problems with the current energy gels as described by the embodied

expertise within the competitive mountain biking community. Out of the 200 responces to

this question these where calculated to be the 10 most common.


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That then is narrowed down to 6 problems.

Litter cased by discarded packaging.

Packets are hard to open when cycling.

Gells from open packets often cause messy and uncomfortable pockets.

Energy gell packets make it difficult to extract all of their contents.

Energy gell packets tear tab becomes serperated/lost and cause litter.

Energy gell packets are not recyclable and produce landfill.

Collection of user feedback.

By extracting the user feedback drawn from the survey the project can then be orchestrated

to develop a way in which the community can engage with the problems identified.

The next question that engaged the 200 community members was..

Here are the top 11 Ideas from the users.This question identified a lack of common

understanding.


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To realise an innovative product solution the parameters of the project must be identified

and communicated to the community in a way that they can give input into the development

of the product solution.Web 2.0 fascilitates this through the use of blogs and forums that can

be used to create an information commons.

> (Pleaser refer to appendices L and M for Blog and Forum information commons.) (Please refer to appendices L- Forum conversation singletrack world and onwards)


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7 Project Management Plan

My plan chopped and changed throughout the 12 weeks constantly setting new goals as originals were or were not reached on the

time. But one thing didnt change the deadline. Thats why this isnt a greatly linear plan but illustrates the workflow.


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8 Section 1 Conclusions

The research concluded that people dont respond well

to being told off or dictated. A product that minimises

the litter issues needs to provide incentives to change

peoples behaviour. Campaigns like the one on the

right have not been successful in the past. The final

solution must provide an extra motive/incentive for the

user. (tameside.gov.uk, 2010)

Research also showed there are a

lot of mountain bikers running

around the country side Project

Velo anticipate the market will

crack the 3 billion mark by 2015,

particularly due to the influence of

the 2012 Olympics.

(Harker, 2010)

More and more riders are

competing and consuming energygels and their packets are ending up in the countryside, landfill, contaminating

recycling systems or adding to the pacific garbage patch. The Olympics is sparking

the growth in sporting activities here in the UK and LOCOG are pushing for a

sustainable Olympics.(LOCOG, 2011) That includes food packaging; it illustrates

there is a good opportunity for a new design.

Photos below are taken at British Cycling National XC round at Plymouth Newham

Park.

The rest of the research will coincide with concept development, design detailing and

evaluation.>>> (Please refer to appendices for further research details)


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Revised Brief

9 Revised and expanded brief

This product design project aims to develop a way to tackle the problems associated

with energy gel packaging (i) the unsustainable nature of the packaging and (ii) the

antisocial and un-ecological disposal of the packaging by mountain bikers. The

product will be aimed at XC mountain bike racing market. The design should be

socially responsible and push sustainable innovation. This project should utilise

interdisciplinary collaboration and work alongside an industrial partner; Torq Fitness.


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10 Initial Product Design Specification

Competition

SIS Sports in Science

Isostar

Lucozade

High5

GU

Zipvit

Maxifuel

Bikefood

CNP

Accelerade

Hammer gel

Maxim

Honey Stinger

Unette

Maxim

Powerade

Cliff

Mule

Market constraints

Must be a feasible price for market i.e. low cost to not increase the cost

to race. Or increase the cost of the energy gel product which currently

costs 1.35 per sachet.

Must be designed for a Global market.


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Aesthetics, appearance and finish

The finish must have strong graphical communication of the brand and

race event and number.

Have a premium, natural aesthetic to represent the Torq brands current

image of high performance, organic, natural and fair-trade product

range.

Ergonomics

Easy to install

Adjustable

Must be easy to extract gel.

Must be easy to load gel wrappers, full and empty in the product.

Must be easy to use in a rush/race situation.

Controllable when cycling over rough terrain.

Target Product Cost (TPC)

Based on current competitor products it will cost between 90p-4.00

Materials

Must be durable to sustain in all weathers. Should be chosen based on entire life cycle of the product to decipher

the most sustainable material whether that ends up being recyclable or

biodegradable.

Must choose material coinciding with the design for manufacture.

Standards, Legislation and Specifications

MHRA assembly licence standards and hold ISO 9002 accreditation.


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Must meet design requirements for food safety set by PAS 223:2011

Materials criteria to meet food grade standards BS EN 15136:2006

Should abide by and adjust to legislation and standards currently in law

and meet future directives. The General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC)

Awareness of the enforcers and implementers of laws and legislation

below.

LITTER LAWSRESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS

Disposing of litter inappropriately is unacceptable. Not only is it anti-social and

unpleasant, littering is also ILLEGAL, and those who throw down, drop, or depositand leave litter in any place, even if it is just a cigarette end or chewing gum, can be

fined or face a court prosecution.

Areas continually degraded by litter, or private land that frequently accumulates litter

and refuse, can give rise to a sense of civic shame and fear of crime, and set the

scene for other environmental crimes and anti-social behaviour such as fly-tipping

and graffiti. Not only are there laws governing an individuals behaviour, but actioncan also be taken against businesses where their activities contribute to littering, and

against occupiers or private landowners who frequently allow their premises to be

defaced by litter and refuse. (defra.gov.uk, 2010)


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A Mountain bike racing requirement set out by the Union Cycliste

International (UCI)

UCI Rules and Regulations 4.1.027 Official training is only permitted

after licences have been checked, other registration formalities

completed and handlebar numbers distributed

Riders must display their handlebar numbers during training sessions

and race.

Patents, literature and product data

Must not encroach on any current patents, literature or product data

listed below.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=-uMQAAAAEBAJ&dq=6702462

http://www.google.com/patents?id=CM0HAAAAEBAJ&dq=Patent+6,244,467

1

.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=-uMQAAAAEBAJ&dq=6702462http://www.google.com/patents?id=-uMQAAAAEBAJ&dq=6702462http://www.google.com/patents?id=CM0HAAAAEBAJ&dq=Patent+6,244,467http://www.google.com/patents?id=CM0HAAAAEBAJ&dq=Patent+6,244,467http://www.google.com/patents?id=CM0HAAAAEBAJ&dq=Patent+6,244,467http://www.google.com/patents?id=-uMQAAAAEBAJ&dq=6702462


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Unettes Saran Tube BS888 drawing, must not be overstepped in the

design.


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Section 2: Evaluation


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11 Design Concepts

(Leadbeater, 2010)

I set out to explore the problem of sports energy gel packaging. I had two main

concerns (i) the unsustainable nature of the packaging and (ii) the antisocial and un-

ecological disposal of the packaging by mountain bikers. I decided to act out some of

the ideas I have been exploring in my dissertation regarding open innovation concept

generation. Open innovation concept generation is a way of producing ideas throughdirected conversations. The internet has the potential as a means to generate a lot of

ideas, by making it possible to have really big conversations or to have lots of small

conversations.

I brainstormed and developed ideas with users on forums. Through the forum I was

able to have a conversation with 50 or more people from different disciplinces

ranging from

An energy gel company (Matt Hart director, and other staff, Torq Fitness Ltd)An gel packaging manufacturer (Alex Terrell, Sales Director, Unette Ltd)A distributer (Luke Humphries , partner Juice Lubes Ltd)A Packaging Engineer (John Gillespie)The online Mountain biking community(anonymous via an online survey)A race organiser (anonymous via an online survey)Bike Shed Wales staff and owners (Martin Higgins owner and Simon Lingard)Design LecturersThe Eco Design Centre (Merel Claes)Keep Wales Tidy (Olwen Mosely)An elite racing cyclist (Luke Morris)

A endurance athlete (Martin Williams)


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The simple question I asked was: What would you improve on the current energy gel

packaging? This question was answered by over 200 people who engaged with an

online survey. As part of that a more conversational open innovation section

produced a lot of design intelligence and ideas. An example of two of these

conversations is shown below. Refer to appendices L for entire conversation and

questionnare results.

The survey showed that the key problems related to energy gells are:

1) Energy gell packets tear tabs becomes serperated/lost and cause litter.

2)Litter cased by discarded packaging.

3) Packets are hard to open when cycling.

4)Gells from open packets often cause messy and uncomfortable pockets.

5)Energy gell packets make it difficult to extract all of their contents.

6)Energy gell packets are not recyclable and produce landfill.

So I started out tackling each of these problems one by one. Along with the best

suggestions/ideas from the community that took part in the survey.

1)User 94 suggested) tear off top should be

attached to the main body so it doesn't get

dropped . (Oct 5, 2011 9:45 AM)

Features:

A simple cord that connects the two

parts together.

Adhesive to stick string.


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2)User 47 suggested) add a "hook" or Velcro to connect to running/cycling jersey

(Oct 11, 2011 4:18)

Features:

Velcro and nano hooks

derived from seeds.

Quick strong grip to the

shorts and jersey.

(biomimicry, 2008)

3)User 170 suggested) One handed opening where the entire wrapper

can be kept. Something that doesn't leak after you've used it. Oct 4,

2011 12:01 PM

Features:

This idea is based on a syringe.

Differing from a normal syringe in that it

can be used one handed.

Squeezable

Easy to clean and re-use.

4) User 96 Suggested) it would be better with

one handed extraction Oct 5, 2011 9:16 AM

Features:

Natural aesthetics of a flamingo.

Uses a plunging mechanism similar to

that used in oil cans.

One handed use

Great extraction of gel out through a

straw

No mess. (Oilcan, 2011) (pictures, 1997)


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5) User 98 suggested) more tapered at mouth end Oct 5, 2011

8:38 AM

Features:

Injection moulded out of polypropylene which can be

commonly recycled.

Easy open twisting mechanism.

Has a bit of give in it to squeeze out gel.

Re-usable, dish washable.

After this concept I had a Interim Viva where a group of design students along with

input from Lecturer Dr Steve Thompson discussed the concepts so far and then

ideated and concept sketched further together in a group.

The discussion led to the realisation, that the main issue is behaviour change and

can be tackled by changing the way energy gel is monetarized or encorporated into

another product.

Thinking along the lines of energy gel handlebar grips and deposit schemes where

discussed.

This was opened up to XCracer forum and sparked another discussion online.See

appendices.

Then realised this idea below.

6) Gels from open packets often cause messy and uncomfortable pockets

Features:

Easy to use.

Simple

Quicker access to gels when cycling

Storage for empty gels that wont end up in the

washing machine.

No more sticky pockets.

No more user reluctance to litter gels.

Doesnt put you at a competitive dissadvantage.


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All of the above concepts where anaylised against the specification and a datum in a matrix

evaluation below, to decide on which concept is suitable to develop.

.

Matrix Evaluation Datum Leash Hook Re-usable Plunger 1Hander Litterboard

Premium, natural

aesthetics

s s - + S S

Reduce litter s + + + + +

Recyclable s s + + + +

Ease to use s s + + + +

Simple. s s - - s +

Minimal separate

components

s s + - S +

Easy to clean

s - + - S +Possible to use

one handed

S s + + + +

Can be used with

gloves, sweaty

hands and in

muddy conditions

S s + + + S

Can be used whilst

cycling over rough

terrain.

s s s _ + S

Sustainable S s + + + +

+ 1 8 7 7 8

- 1 2 4 0 0

Same 11 9 1 0 4 3

Total 0 1 6 3 7 8

Key

+ (plus): better than, faster, stronger, less prone to, cheaper etc- (minus): for worse than, slower, more expensive, prone to etc.S (same): same as the datum.


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After the matrix evaluation the litter board idea was developed further.

This led on to the concept development of the litter board.Starting by improving how

the board attaches to the bike, a selection of fittings where sketched.

More sketches but with longer straps which can Velcro to the handlebar this should

cut down on cables ties and faff.

This concept below allows the tear tab which becomes separated to stay fixed, to the

number board. This was inspired by the existing product called gelrilla grips. (Gelrilla,

2008)


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Furthering the concept above to hanging the gel off the side of the board but then

realised the potential strength issues and returned to a simple pouch.

These concepts will be tested in 3D modelling.


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12 3D Design Development

The feasibility of a number board energy gel container will be tested out through 3D

models which will be able to show what works and what doesnt.

1)The security of the energy gel in the pouch will be tested over rough terrain along

with the number board.

2)Ease of attachment to the bike.

3)Ease of use, getting the gel out and putting the empty one back in.

4)Clear communication of the number and marketability.

5)Aerodynamics and likelihood of causing damage to bike.

The target market use 1 to 2 energy gels for a 2 hour

race so it must accommodate that. This shows the

difference between an empty and a full energy

packet. That has to be taken into account when

designing the pouch.

Models will be based on

existing number boards.


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User proclivities found through the research where tucking gels under shorts,

fastening them to drinks bottle and Runners safety pin gels to their shorts all three

where tested and illustrate below.

Number boards are normally attached by cable ties. This model tests out the use of

adhesive Velcro. Cardboard is a good natural material with the application of natural

mussel glue a water proof coating can be provided. (glue, 2011)

Positives: Easy to install

Secure

Negatives: Adhesive Velcro is expensive

Marks the handlebars not good aesthetics


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Another test was done on these elastic clips no extra surface was needed to be

attached to the handlebars and the elastic can be re-used over and over and again.

Next option pictured below was using toe straps.

Positives: Reusable

Secure

Negatives: Costly

Scratch handlebars, which can cost up to 200

(loop, 2010)

Then based on the Cateye loop light concept, elastic was used.

Positives: Easy to install

Good adjustability to fit any shape or thickness of handlebar

Fasten board smoothly and tightly to the handlebar

Negatives:Insecure

Costly

Not aerodynamic.


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This aim is to create a pouch more sustainably rather than extracting more raw

materials, this idea uses recycled inner tubes, attached by adhesive Velcro. The

board is clamped with a single reflector bracket.

Positives: The gel is secure in pouch

Ease to attach gel

Number board is secure to bike.

Recycled materials

Negatives: Aesthetics are unprofessional

Velcro isnt secure

Slow and fiddly to fit board

Awkward to get empty gel into pouch


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Care was taken to ensure that the gels are clearly seen above the board providing a

form of advertising for Torq energy. It is a key feature to ensure the marketability of

the product.


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The cable ties are reusable and the location is lower down bringing the board higher

up. A small cardboard pouch is laminated and glued with adhesive to the board.

Positives: Easy to gets gels in and out

Natural card

Reusable cable ties

Clear display of number

Negatives: Not aerodynamic

Litter security

User testing- Semi Professional

This prototype was tested out by a Scott Law Unfortunately its shallow pocket failed

to hold the gel even along the road.


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With the failure of not holding the gel, a bigger pouch is needed to secure the gel.

Multiple attempts to make the pouch out of recycled material or recyclable material

were unsuccessful. The entire board needs to be redesigned to incorporate a pouch.

So I moved away from the boards above and on to origami based boards. I was

avoiding using more material to make the pouch as it would not give the

environmentally friendly message that Im trying to portray. But on the plus side

polypropylene is commonly recycled so at the end of life it can be turned into

something else.

Interim Viva feedback Lecturer-Dr Steve Thompson 21stNovember

I brought in a number board to discuss with

Steve suitable ways to attach or include a

pouch in the design. He took the number

board I bought in and folded the corner

over in a vice. This illustrated the great

fatigue resistance of polypropylene a

live/living hinge allows 10,000 repeated

folds. I can create live hinges and fold the

plastic into origami shapes. (Hinge, 2009)

Here is the first origami shape,

simple but functional.

Its nothing fancy but as Victor

Papanek onces said The only

important thing about design is how

it relates to people.This simplicity

will connect with the mountain biker

racers whos mind is focused on

riding.


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These are simply folded and the one below a knife was used to score the lines

creating good living hinges.

Positives: Secure deep pouch

Easy to use simply line up the holes

Attaches to bike easily

DFD design for disassembly-vinyl removable graphics

DFR design for recycling-Recyclable

DFM design for manufacture-Low cost to manufacture

Negatives: Extra material


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Final Model

The gels fit deeply into pouch, no chance of flying out. Transparent so shows gel

brand well. One sheet off polypropylene folds directly in half along a live hinge.


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13 Detailed design

Manufacturing- Dependent on business scale

1) Single Item/made by hand- aguillotine is used to cut the edges of the plastic

cleanly and precisely before placing them into a wooden jig to accurately cut out

the form with a Stanley knife and score the fold lines.

Vinyl is printed at local printers. A hand drill is then used to cut precise holes.

2) Batch production-a laser cutter to cut the sheet polypropylene to size and the

laser scored to make the fold lines. The vinyl graphics can also be laser cut.

3) Mass production- a large rotary die cutting machine to cut the plastic. Then

vinyl graphic are printed by an industrial vinyl cutter.

Material Grade

Polypropylene Eco Facts

It takes less energy to recycle polypropylene than paper.

(ecofacts, 2009)

Material type- The Homopolymer variety of polypropylene

is a general purpose grade that can be used in a variety of

different applications.


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Material

Each product will be manufactured from one sheet of polypropylene 1mm thick

400mm wide x 318mm long.

Costs depending on size of event

Regional event- need 240boards = 75

National event- 60 boards that are 200x160mm can be cut out of 2000x1000mm of

polypropylene.

A national round where 500riders attend, the cost will be 125.37 as 9 Sheets are

needed. 4.00 per unit

Mountain Mayhem event has 2700 competitors 45 sheets are needed costing

625 2700 divided by 625 = 4.32 per unit each competitor.

Working drawing

Back sheet and side view of the product. This is folded in half along a living hinge.4

more living hinges are made over into a small secure pouch for the empty and full

energy gels. There will be hinge/score lines on the plastic clearly to allow for the

sheet to fold into a pouch. The user simply aligns the holes off the two sheets

together make the pouch. The holes need to be aligned for the user to attach to the

bike handlebars with cable ties.


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Back panel with 4 fold lines for pouch

This shows the complete product and the front panel with side views.

This will be manufactured from 1mm thick Polypropylene


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Final Graphic Design

The final design has strong graphical communication of the brand and has roomfor other sponsors and event details.

It has a premium, natural aesthetic which represents the Torq brands current

image of high performance, after speaking to Torq I learnt that they use black

backing in all there packaging as this represents and is associated with a quality

product.

>>>


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14 Sustainability

When designing the product an Ecodesign approach was used, the product life cycle

was taken into account in the design process every aspect of the product from rawmaterials, extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal where considered.

Considerations of impact

The negative impact of the production of this product is counterbalanced by the

environmental benefits it provides.

The product itself prevents litter of energy gel packets, and allows the collection of

the packets which are then sent off to a unique recycling facility Enval limited that can

recycle laminated products.

Collecting the packets from the races no litter directly effects the environment and

the energy gel packets no longer end up in landfill or in the pacific garbage patch.

The packets are recovered and sent toEngineering Site:Enval LimitedUnit 3High Town Enterprise Centre

York StreetLutonLU2 0HAUK

Where they are able to then recover and recycle the unsustainable products.

100% recovery of aluminium from plastic/aluminium laminate wasteRecovered, impurity-free, aluminium ready for re-useOils and gases generated by the process suitable for heat/electricityLow cost alternative to the current methods for disposal of laminate waste


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15 Design Evaluation

I set out to tackle two main problems (i) the unsustainable nature of the packaging

and (ii) the antisocial and un-ecological disposal of the packaging by mountain

bikers. The design does both of those things.

(i) By acting as a collection for empty wrappers, gel wrappers can then be

transported to a recycling plant that can recycle laminated products. My research

found only one recycling facility in the UK that has the technology to recycle

laminated packaging.

(ii) Research showed users antisocial disposal of gels packets wasprimarily due

reluctance to put them in their pockets as they become messy and can end up in the

washing machine along with time and effort to get them in pockets whilst cycling.

This product makes it quicker and easier to pocket the wrapper when cycling and is

and prevents messy pockets. These strengths make the user less reluctant to litter, it

is so easy and hassle free to use there is no longer an excuse to litter.

Weaknesses

Maybe one day a magical material will be available that provides great shelf life and

biodegrades in an instant. But until then this will have to do.

The biggest weakness with this product is the fact it is only really used in race

situation. It doesnt quite tackle the problems highlighted above caused from

mountain bikers who ride at the weekend. But I would argue that rider out the

weekend are under less time constraint and would eat an energy bar instead of a gel.

Gels are primarily used in a race situation.


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Evaluationfrom 24hour Mountain Bike racer Ranked 5thin the UK Luke Morris-

Fact-He has consumed 23 energy gels in one race-Sponsoredby Ison distribution.

Hi Adam

Thanks for sending me the number board I tried it the other night.

First impressions are all good I placed 3 gels in the board and found it very easy

to grab them and even put the empty wrappers back into the board. This proved

to be easier than putting them back in my pocket or shorts. As a product I think

its a great idea and would like to see it used at races.

All the best

Luke. http://lukemorris24.blogspot.com/


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16 Evaluation conclusions

I learnt so much over the course of the last 12 weeks. Ive learnt about the great

complexities in energy gel packaging, the reality and feasibility of pushing innovation

in this area.

I realised how important it is to catalyse the collective intelligence inherent in the

mountain bike community, designers and engineers.

I found that matching expectations is the stepping stone to exceeding peoples

expectations. This happens best when every discipline has access to a transparent

information commons. Also the development of ideas through open conversations on

forums in person and on blogs gave the ability to find out what ideas had legs and

what didnta lot quicker than usual.

Next time around I would manage my time better, and record every step I made in

more detail. I learnt the importance of documenting the thought process going along,

as major steps in the project in my head didnt reflect what was on paper. I would

make more time, create extra financial backing and get a team behind the project.

USP-Key product strengths

Product shifts responsibility away from packaging engineers to users

Simple design solutions to a complex problem

Its realistic, functional, manufacturability

Commercially viable Priceless PR conveying the Torq brand to environmental stewardship

Brands honesty gains consumer trust.

It is a UCI requirement to have a number board so being responsible does not

put the rider at a competitive disadvantage by the added weight of the

product, which competitor products do.


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1 Appendices

Appendices A - Existing energy products.

Appendices B- Existing products Alternative solutions to packaging that solve

litter and user problems

Appendices C-Existing products in other areas

Appendices D-Eco design

Appendices E - Raw Materials(Extract ion and processing )

Appendices F - Manufacture Components and assembly.

Appendices G-Distribution/Retails and packaging transport

Appendices H- Use and Maintenance Energy/consumables

Appendices I-End of Life

Appendices J - History and context of energy gels/Ergogenic Aid.

AppendicesK - Sustainable Olympics

Appendices L- Forum conversation single-track world


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Appendices A- Existing energy products.

I saw a number of brands that sell gel bottles and a 700g refill

such brands as Bike food, Squeezy and Agisko

Positives- Buy in bulk, Re usable bottle,Controllable gel

intake, Re-sealable lid, No-messy pockets, Ergonomic 125ml

bottle.

Negatives-Expensive initial cost 19.99 over 1.00,

Inconvenient to fill up bottle, Very hard to get gel

out when bottle starts to empty-Bulky.

Hammer geldo a very similar product but also

provide a syringe to extract the gel with.

Vooma Gelis produced by ultimate nutrition a South African

Brand and they supply the equivalent of 3 gels in single toothpaste

tubes. Toothpaste is manufactured in huge quantities so USN can

provide great value as the cost is relatively low.

Positives-Re-sealable,

Gu Energy gel-Are the founder of the

Energy

Gel and produce their own packaging in house which means

they have excellent quality control and because they

manufacture the packaging specifically for energy gels

alone, compared to some contract packaging manufactures

that produce laminated tubes for the cosmetic and


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lubrication industries. The Gu gel actually tears open a lot easier than other brands,

because they can control the thickness of material around the tab. They can ensure it

open reliably.

Brands

TORQ Energy

Lucozade Sport

Zipvit

Mule Bar

Science in sport

Maxifuel

CNP (British cycling team sponsor)

All 7 of the above nutrition brands are manufactured by

Unette these are the biggest brands in the UK industry. You can see Unette has a

strong monopoly in the industry there are no real packaging competitors for the

brands to consider.


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These are laminated flexible packages that Torq energy are looking to get away

from. User friendly sustainable packaging would make a brand like Torq energy

stand out from its competitors.

Here is a collection of brands that all use very similar packaging

indeed. All laminated with 2 types of plastic and an Aluminium foil. A variety of

tear tab forms.

Positives

The litter leash prevents litter. 32g rather than 45g serving small packet.

Negative

Extra material for litter leash

Patented litter leash prevents more brands using the idea.

These three brands have a re-

sealable lid, which is easy to

open and close when you are

not cycling when cycling this is

time consuming and not suitable

for fast racing. But slower


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touring and Ultra long distance these are good. No sharp edges on the mouth piece

either.

Appendices B- Existing products Alternative solutions to packaging that

solve litter and user problems

This cycling jersey has a specific pocket for empty gel wrappers.

Its a practical solution to the

problem of sticky wrappers.

Races often take place in scenic

areas and we shouldnt see 150

riders littering national parks and

open country. But put the empty

packaging back into your rear

pockets and it can stick to unused

things meaning its hard to tell

whats useful when you next dip your hand back in.

(rubbishjersey, 2011)

Gel-Bot Bike BottleA revolutionary water bottle design that

allows both gel and water (or energy drink) to be dispensed from

the same bottle. With the cap valve pressed in, squeeze the bottle

and gel is released. Pull out the cap valve, squeeze, and you get water (or energy

drink). The Gel-Bot holds up to 24 ounces of liquid and 3.2 ounces of gel.

(bicyclenews, 07)

The Gelrilla Grip- is an alternative solution

which, makes it easier to open your gel on the

move and holds onto the tab which is prone to be

littered.

Windose-This is another good example of

using old technology and applying it to a

different use. Here a syringe is a single serving


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gel. This allows easier extraction of entire gel contents and provideseasier one

handed use. If anything it is a bit to heavy and sharp edges when in pocket.

Appendices C-Existing products in other areas

This is manufactured in Llantrisant at an injection moulding plastic manufascturing

company. They have used PET a commonly recycled plastic which has a reasonable

amount of squeeze ability to control and get out more honey.

The seal at the top prevents any honey coming out in less it squeezed out. This

applied to an energy gel would be good at preventing messy pockets. The lid can be

open and closed on the move one handed and this allows the user to reseal the

packet.

This product is a design from Brazil used to open up sauce sachets easily and it

keeps hold of the torn off bits. It works like a sharpener.


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Here is some organic puree which is a lamination that seals around a re-sealable lid.


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Appendices D-Eco design

As identified in the introduction it is important in an eco-design to identify the need for

design in every aspect of the product life cycle from raw materials

(extraction/processing), Manufacture (components/assembly), Distribution/Retail

(packaging/transport), Use and Maintenance (energy/consumables) and the end of

life.


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Appendices E - Raw Materials.(Extract ion and pro cessing)

The three materials used in the current energy gel are Aluminium foil, Polyethylene

Terephthalate and Low Density Polyethylene laminated together and then heat

sealed.

PET/Alu/PE. This typical triplex structure incorporates Aluminium foil for improved

oxygen and light barrier performance for food.


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The main barrier properties that have to be addressed moisture, gas, and light

(some foods are moisture sensitive, some are sensitive to gases like oxygen or

nitrogen, others are sensitive to exposure to light).

OTR = oxygen transmission rate

WVTR = water vapor transmission rate

MVTR = moisture vapour transmission rate

This chart shows the oxygen and moisture vapour transmission rates for all the

materials used in current products and more.

Biodegradable materials

Plastics take 500years to decompose in a landfill. By adding starch to poly it will

begin to decompose in months. But its uses are limited for food packaging since poly

isnt a good barrier and it is designed to decompose when exposed to heat, moisture

and light (UV).

All of these exist in a landfill, but also, in the supply path.

Scientists have discovered that by adding starch to Poly it will begin to

decompose in months. While this sounds great, its uses are limited for food

packaging since Poly isnt a very good barrier and this film is designed to

decompose when exposed to heat, moisture and light (UV). All of these exist in


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a landfill, but also, to some degree, in the supply path. Florescent lights on the

store shelf and heat and humidity in shipping and warehousing all have to be

controlled to maintain the integrity of the package.

The most commercially advanced and available biodegradable, renewable

resource-based film on the market continues to be PLA [polylactic acid]. It has good

clarity, sealability, and deadfold, and all commercially available films meet the ASTM

D6400 compostability requirements.

The barrier maps compare the barrier properties of the plain 80-g PLA film to the

SiOx-coated or metallized PLA, and then the coated PLA laminated to another 80-g

PLA layer. These properties are overlayed on a barrier map showing the barrier

requirements of typical food packaging applications.

We have shown that it is now possible to achieve truly high barrier all-PLA package

with a two-ply structure of reverse-printed Ceramis coating PLA laminated to a

metallized Enviromet PLA.

Figure 1: CERAMIS PLA Barrier Properties

Figure 2: Enviromet PLA Barrier Properties


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DematerialisationIs the absolute or relative reduction in quantity of materials used

and/or the quantity of waste generated in the production of a product. A common

indicator is the intensity of material use per unit of economic output.

Addit ives and Coat ings

What is Ceramis?Ceramis is a technology by which a SiOx coating is applied to

various types of substrates. This technology is used for demanding applications in

both packaging and technical markets. (limited, 2011)


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Appendices-F - Manufacture Components and assembly.

The way the packets are manufactured dictates what materials can be used and how

tightly the packet is sealed shut, which affects how easy it is to open. The packages

are designed to be opened at the top end and this region will often become

separated from the main body.

Print: 70 x 122.7666mm Issued: 12/11/09 Print: 70 x 80.43mm Issued: 23/11/09

Unette Corporation, the originator of single-use tubes, has been producing

tubes since 1955 and continues to increase its production capabilities.

Unette are a contract packaging / manufacturing company of over 40 years

standing with facilities in Lancashire and Cheshire in the UK, and in New

Jersey in the USA. Our core business is liquid filling.

Currently Unette has a monopoly on flexible packaging for energy gels. They

manufacture flexible packages for Lucozade, Torq energy, CNP, Maxifuel,

Mule bar the top high leading brands in the nutrition industry.


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Flexible packaging has since come to be the hottest marketing trend because

of its acceptance by consumers as being convenient.

In the world of flexible packaging, Laminates are combinations of different or

similar films designed to optimise the mechanical and functional properties of

each single film which when glued together with an adhesive, act to multiply

the performance of the individual films. Adhesives are typically solvent free

systems but can be solvent, water, UV, extrusion or hot melt systems.

Unettes Foil Laminates can be hot stampedup to your custom artwork. Unette can

reproduce sophisticated, high resolution, 7 colour process or spot colour graphics on

our foil laminates.

Primary research

I spoke to Alex Terrell Assistant at Unette UK up in there Crew office.

This is main selling points of flexible packaging. They are being pushed as

Sustainable in the sensethat they are using less plastic, weight reduction improve

distribution costs, use less space and most importantly cost less to the business.

So when I asked him if they had looked into designing a new tab for their single use

tube which prevented the littering of the tab by ensuring the tube and tab stayed

together when it was openedhis response was.

We have got a design which does this but it is not going into tooling. Our customers

are not demanding it and the design involves adding more material to the design.

The leash has not gone into development very much like gu who believe that the

excess material is not worth it. It also hasnt been properly tested so the designer is


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not sure whether or not it has sharp edges. As there are already complaints in my

survey of people cutting mouth and gums its probably safe not to bring that into

production.

The current packaging uses less material so why change it?

I then followed that question up with this..Why do you not use biodegradable

materials?

The bio plastics are out there but they are too flimsy for the current manufacturing

process. compared to foil laminates consisting of Polyethylene and Aluminium mix

which is more rigid to handle than bio plastics.

I kept pressing him on this question and he kept responding you cant achieve

everything you have to compromise somewhere.

I believes it is not an issue. The flexible packaging industry is sustainable because it

uses less raw material. Still uses a hell of a lot of raw material though. A lot more

than if it was flexible.

Appendices G-Distribution/Retails and packaging transport

I spoke to Duncan Mellor who works in the packaging

industry, particularly manufacturing the type of films used for

gels, bars etc. Shed some real light on the issue.

There is still not a real solution for packaging bars and gels

in bio-degradable film as these

products have a very long shelf life due to the relatively slow

sales and usage pattern.

Also the nature of the product requires good pack integrity

hence heat sealing which makes them difficult to get into

compared with chocolate or crips which use cold seal

technology.

Most gels sold are low in preservatives so the film in which they are packed needs a

good oxygen barrier and is a laminate of PET and LDPE to give the good seal, some

have foil layers or metallised film.


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Easy open tears and tags to retain the torn off portion is not new technology , this is

usually done by the filling machine and since these products are contract packed, it is

down to investment by the packer. The only real solution is not to dispose of the

wrappers irresponsibly, buying gels or bars in paper bags or corn starch based films

is not practical given the other performance requirements of these packs.

Appendices H- Use and Maintenance Energy/consumables

Users are purchasing them in single serving sachets for convenient use. It is possible

to make your energy gel at home but it takes time and effort which is why flexible

packaging is a good option.

The problem from users feedback is the difficulty of getting all the gel content out of

the packet when they want to quickly use half a single serving, which when pocketed

leaks and manages to spread sticky mess everywhere.

The tabs are hard to tear off particularly when cycling along one handed, with

sweaty hands, and when competing in a race fatiguing and a heart rate going

through the roof. The tab of the gel is not easy to grip due to the PET outer coating,

which is hard to grip. The aluminium middle laminate, which is a good barrier of

oxygen also provides good integrity but when torn can leave a sharp edge which cuts

the user.

Simon Mustill gives an insight in to a user experience.

Top tip, do not try to rip the top off the sachet with your teeth whilst cycling and

grasping said sachet quite firmly and competing in your first triathlon! Half the gelwent in my ear, the other half hit the guy I was overtaking straight between the eyes!


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Eco Design Key Facts and conversations.

Food packaging

Food shelf life depends on packaging barrier properties ability to preventing the foods

exposure to moisture, gas and light which would make the food go off.

Reail

Gels have a long shelf life due to the relatively slow sales and usage pattern. No

retailer will invest in stock if it bio degrades in 6months and therefore they dont sell

the all the stock they bought they make a loss.

Client Matt Hart director of Torq energy interview.

Matt explained to increase his sales the packaging should aim to ensure the gel shelf

life is 3 years, if retailers can invest in stock in confidence that they can sell all of

what they buy more retailers will buy the product and with more stock comes shop

presence so they will sell more aswell. There are a lot of small bike shops in Britain

that make small sales over longer periods unlike the big online shops etc that can

churn out more stocks. So if small retailers are confident they will eventually be able

to sell the product they will buy it. This will increase the amount of bike shops that

Torq energy is sold in.

User

Due to the nature of the product, it requires integrity to withstand being squeezed in

running belts,pockets and as stated the long shelf life needed. This is why the current

gels packets are heat sealed to give a strong oxygen barrier no moisture is getting

through a heat seal.But the heat seal is also tough to tear open.Melted plastic seals it

shut the user has to tear through 2 types of plastic melted to alluminium foil. When

the athelete is tired even the simplest of tasks is difficult and tearing a tough gel one

handed over bumpy terrain is a challenge.

Packaging engineer John Gillespie

The performance of biodegradble films doesnt provide equivalent barrierproperties(moisture,gas and light) compared to non-biodegradble.


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But can increase sustainability in other ways by downgauging and downsizing. Using

less material and creating a package that is reusable.( which would help with litter

issues).

EU biopackaging will remain niche despite massive growth.

In the UK total plastic consumption is 2,414 tones of which 60% is packaging

discarded as soon as it is open. Many of these end up in landfill, where they stay for

centuries.

The price of non renewable plastic is set to increase drastically, while the price of

renewable polymers is expected to decrease. Price stabilization of bioplastics is

expected in 2015.

How hard the product is to open comes down to the expected shelf life of the product

as retailers expect/hope the shelf life to be 2years this way they have more time and

chance to sell the product. Energy gels arent a product commonly bought regularly,

people will buy them for races ad

The market wants performance and its all about competition people will pay 1000s of

pounds for a product which saves a gram or 2 as dragging an extra gram around for

2hours adds up to minutes of time. So racers are reluctant to add weight of an

alternative product if it would be a competitive disadantage. If everyone is in the

same boat is doesnt matter because the best man will win.

Thats why the number board thing works because everyone has the extra material

no single person is at a disadvantage. But they have a choice to put there empty gels

in the number board or on the floor and hopefully more people will go for the later

option.

If an incentive was put in place either financially or a deposit scheme then people are

more likely to aspect.

After talking to a trustee of Keep Wales Tidy (Olwen Moseley) I became aware that

people dont like being told or forced to do something or told off they need a motiveor incentive


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The primary research undertaken identifies the needs for less litter one of the

community members gave the current product (Unette Saran tube) a new name of

landfill tube.

Litter Problem-Energy gels come in a small package and one associated problem is

litter. Unfortunately, many end up being thrown onto the trails or roads as cycling

athletes dont have enough hands to deal with the trash as it is time consuming and

the torn-off package tops can be misplaced or otherwise lost therefore creating a

litter problem.


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Appendices I-End of Life

Once the user has managed to separate the upper tab off using teeth or hand while

cycling along will often misplace or loose the now separated packet which therefore

creates a litter problem.

The questionnaire showed the large majority of people attempt to take them home by

stuffing them up there shorts or jersey pocket, but admitted they dont always make it

home with them.

George Budd filled out my survey and responded with this

If the idea of this is to make biodegradable gel packaging with the ideathat we can

just throw them on the floor, I'm not sure I like the idea. It will just look awfully messy

and sheep and turtles etc will still choke on them until they have degraded.

He is very true about the implications of biodegradable packets it will in fact promotelitter, motivating more people to stop taking their packets home with them.


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A packaged dropped could find its way into the pacific garbage patch and end up

here.


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Dont worry Envalwill recycle it!

Enval can help; by implementing our process, 100% of the aluminium from

plastic/aluminium laminate waste can be extracted and the plastic converted into

useable oils and gases.

With waste volumes constantly increasing, and composition becoming more complex,

there is a need for new technologies and processes to help recycle this new

packaging. The Enval process can treat wastes which are difficult to recycle with

conventional recycling processes. (Limited, 2011)

WRAP aims to improve market knowledge and transparency within the recycling

industry.

WRAP aims to be a leading, respected and authoritative provider of information

about the industry to help inform business decisions.


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Closed loop


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A company based in Berkeley, California called GU Energy in 1991 invented the first

energy gels. (GU Energy) PowerBars were invented in 1986 and PowerGel came out

in 1996. (PowerBar).

Before energy gels, bars and beverages became readily available in the 1990s,

American endurance athletes used easy-to digest and relatively inexpensive natural

foods and beverages to maintain their energy levels from word of mouth and trial-

and-error.

http://www.multisportmama.com/2009/06/anthropological-look-at-energy-

gels.html

An anthropological look at energy gels for endurance athletes

An energy gel is semi-liquid or pudding-like, sweet and easily digestible source of 25-

30 grams of complex carbohydrates that are sold usually in single-serving disposable

sachets containing about 2 Tablespoons (36 grams) of gel. The purpose of energy

gels is to supply energy to an endurance athlete. Endurance athletes ingest energy

gels in order to replace depleted liver and muscle glycogen stores used up while

racing or t

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