Sustainable Design
Squeezable Mascara
Problem
Mascara packaging is not easily recyclable and goes into landfill. Mascara clumps and dries out, so much of the liquid is wasted and the tube thrown out. How can mascara packaging be more sustainable?
Skills Used
- Industrial & Service Design
- Lifecycle & Material Analysis
- Computer Aided Design & Prototyping
- Finite Element Analysis
Problem
Cannot easily be disassembled
Mascara packaging is difficult to disassemble and has not been designed for this purpose. There are 6 different components. The benefits of simple assembly are serious detriments to the recyclability of the product.
Highest CO2 footprint is from material
Embodied energy from the material makes the largest contribution to overall energy consumption of the product with 1.41 of 1.83 (77%) MJ used. The end of use to landfill for these millions of products results in a substantial loss in potential recoverable energy.
64% of users identified clumping as the number 1 issue with mascara.
“I always struggle with getting every bit of mascara out of the bottle, I often have to pump the bottle to get the last drop”
“Often the mascara will dry up before I have finished what’s in the bottle”
“Quality is the most important thing for mascara. It’s so personal going onto the most sensitive part of my face. I wouldn’t trust something designed just for sustainability”
Development
Moving towards a circular economy
Initial idea generation across product service systems
Interim Idea
An aluminium bottle allows the product to be re-filled and reused over time. A separate wiper, which controls the amount of liquid applied to the brush, allows for greater control by the user as to how much mascara is applied. A full-service system cuts out the retail store entirely reducing overheads and transport costs. A reward scheme for recycling packaging could be developed.
Further Development
The SCAMPER method was used to evaluate the concept and take it to the next stage of development.
From this a final product design specification was generated. Finite Element Analysis was performed to validate the design idea for the squeezable element.
Final Design
The final design utilises an Aluminium case and lid with a Santoprene squeezable cartridge tube that allows the user to control the amount of liquid on the brush and reduces clumping/drying out. The aluminium elements would be kept by the user indefinetly as a jewellery style item. With individual “cartridges” replaced and recycled in store. A 3D printed prototype demonstrates the functionality.
Original Mascara Packaging Energy Total = 5.49 MJ/year
New Design Energy Total = 1.0972 MJ/year
%
reduction in energy use per year
