Sustainable Shoebox Task (Research)

Puma's 'Clever Little Bag'
From: http://www.greenwala.com/channels/green-business/blog/6060-Puma-Unveils-New-Sustainable-Shoe-box-Bag

This 'shoebox' was developed over 21 months by industrial designer Yves Behar in conjunction with German sportswear brand Puma in order to reduce waste. It aims to cut paper usage by 65% and lower manufacturing waste by 60% by using a single sheet of ink-free recycled cardboard encased by a recycled plastic bag. The user is encouraged to recycle the cardboard sheet and use the bag instead of non-degradable plastic shopping bags, and while it doesn't seem so different, Behar believes it is a good first step:

'Eventually, we hope that everyone will be able to use the bag only but we first need to prove it can function in the existing system.'

As all the materials are recycled this starts off as being a very sustainable solution, and the single sheet of cardboard means that there is no need for any fastenings or glue. However, in many cases the bag would just be cast aside and not used, and so wouldn't necessarily reduce the use of less environmentally-friendly carrier bags. Also, shoeboxes are often reused as containers, and can last a long time but this design features one single sheet of cardboard which is less likely to be used again, even if it is more environmentally-friendly.