Nou
An eco-friendly solution to kitchen dish soap
This 5-week long project was dedicated to creating a design solution that focused on sustainable materials according to the Cradle to Cradle philosophy. These products would not only be viable but also have the opportunity to be repurposed in a never-ending cycle. Nou successfully achieves this goal proven through immense material research and proof of concept.
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This project was completed in a team with Sebastian Krnic and Thomas Purchase.
Ideation & Iteration
Exploring and developing through thoughtful design
Nou began its development through different bottle forms, shapes, colours, and textures. At its core, Nou is a unique dish soap bottle design, but immense research and considerations were taken to understand the material viability of this product. The goal was to find a sustainable material that could be recycled and reused or biodegradable while being structurally sound with enough flex to be fit for a squeeze bottle. This led to the decision of using hemp cellulose bioplastic. Most plastics are made from petroleum-derived from cellulose and using hemp which is up to 90% cellulose, bioplastic can be made using similar processes.
Concept Refinement
Developing the product and fine-tuning the details
Refinements were made to understand the shape of the bottle, affordance, and considering other possible colourways. Here the Nou soap concentrate pods and Nou packaging are illustrated with their own unique material properties. Nou soap pods are made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a water-soluble plastic that dissolves into non-harmful monomers that are biodegradable. Nou packaging is made from a polysaccharide-based plant called agar-agar (red algae). This makes the packaging water-soluble as well, dissolving easily down the sink and producing zero waste.
Hemp
Cellulose
Bioplastic
Nou's bottle is made from 100% biodegradable hemp plastic
Nou pods are made from 100% water-soluble and biodegradable PVA
Poly Vinyl Alcohol
Nou packagang is made from 100% water-soluble agar-agar (red algae)
Poly-
saccharide Based Bioplastic
Final Design
The thorough process completed with a final product
The final design has a monochrome colourway for the flagship bottle, with a warmer or cooler option for further customization for the user. The benefit of Nou is that it not only appears more visually attractive than regular dish soap brands, but the use of materials allows essentially infinite use of this product and continual purchasing of Nou pods with one package lasting 12-18 months. Nou pods are naturally scented and dyed in lavender, earl grey, and coconut. Nou takes dish soap bottles to the next level with a product that can aesthetically fit in all homes and adheres to Cradle to Cradle principles.
Bottle contains 16 fl. oz.
Step 1
User selects
which pod scent they want to use
Step 2
User puts pod into Nou reusable bottle
Step 3
Water is added to dissolve the pod
Step 4
Nou dish soap is used until empty
Step 5
Packaging can dissolve down sink when empty
Introducing Nou
Video presentation of the sustainable impact of Nou
The Nou solution eliminates the unnecessary amounts of water being shipped in bottles worldwide when water is already accessible in our homes. This concept has the potential to change the consumer's idea of what sustainability looks like. This product was an excellent way to truly understand and consider the impact of product materials through thorough research while continuing to create a unique and aesthetically pleasing product.
Cradle to Cradle
Understanding the material reutilization of Nou's materials
100% biodegradable, recyclable, or rapidly renewable
Sustainability made beautiful
An eco-friendly solution to kitchen dish soap
