Those who have long-fretted squeezing out that last bit of toothpaste from the tube may soon be able to rest easy — a student at Arizona State University has designed a new origami-inspired toothpaste tube designed to release every drop of paste, according to FastCoDesign.
Founded in 1873, Colgate is the oldest commercial toothpaste brand. ASU design student Nicole Pannuzzo decided she could improve the brand's packaging, and was inspired to design the new tube by the number of gadgets on sale aimed at getting toothpaste out of the tube. Rather than adding more unnecessary products to solve the problem, she thought it more logical to redesign what already exists.
The result is a cylindrical, spiraling, origami-influenced tube design. The tube collapses like an accordion as toothpaste gets used until it is flat as a folded piece of paper — and the paste has nowhere to go but out. The design also is freestanding due to a flat-top cap and canister shape, which makes it easier to leave out on the bathroom sink.
Pannuzzo also redesigned the red-and-white Colgate logo, which she says fails to stand out when stacked next to other brands that have a similar packaging scheme — horizontal, white, sans serif type against a sparkling, splashy background. She says she envisions the container would sit or at least be transported in transparent cylindrical tube. This also could help stand out on shelf when rival products are either lying flat inside a cardboard box, or standing upright.
Pannuzzo’s design already has garnered interest from Colgate’s advertising team. Her redesign approach to solving a common problem is classic Cradle-to-Cradle — rather than add more products to correct a poor design, it is better to eliminate the problem through intelligent design.
Last month, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute launched a product registry aimed at increasing transparency from manufacturers. The Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Product Registry allows consumers, designers and builders to make wiser, healthier decisions and calls for greater transparency from manufacturers.
In other packaging news, a recent report by Smithers Para found that consumer demand, government legislation and technology advances will propel sustainable packaging to a $244 billion market by 2018.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Mar 20, 2014 1am EDT / 10pm PDT / 5am GMT / 6am CET