Need to Know
03 : 07 : 20

Bulgaria – Technology start-up DiFold has launched an Origami Bottle using collapsible design technology.

The design is the first re-usable bottle that can fold down to 80% of its original size while also remaining stable when unfolded. Its functional and practical design allows users to easily carry the bottle while commuting or during leisure activities. While re-usable bottles have become a sustainability staple in recent years as brands and consumers continue to shun single-use plastic, the compact design of the Origami Bottle offers twofold benefits.

Radina Popova, co-founder of DiFold, said: ‘As the world enters the new normal, single-use is going like crazy. Emissions are -17% but we’re not addressing climate change in the long term. It’s more important than ever to be more conscious of our personal impact.’

As we identify in our Re-usable Packaging Market, a growing concern about plastic packaging is fuelling new innovations in the FMCG sector.

Italy – Design studio Pizzolorusso has created a radio that offers access to local radio stations from around the world.

The CityRadio features buttons labelled with city names including Beijing, Moscow and Berlin. Created as a re-imagination of early radios, the contemporary design encourages users to engage with multicultural content outside of the internet. Emanuele Pizzolorusso, designer of CityRadio, said: ‘In my childhood home there was an old portable radio, one of those appliances that had the names of several European cities on the tuning dials – a feature from the time when one could still listen to stations from foreign countries.’

During the inter-Covid period, people are likely to seek new forms of cultural immersion, leaning further towards the idea of Imagination Travel.

As stores begin to re-open in the inter-Covid period, beauty buyers still feel uneasy about returning to bricks-and-mortar shopping.

According to a recent survey from Influenster, 24% of shoppers said they wouldn’t be returning to buying beauty products in-store. With consumers feeling especially concerned about health and safety measures, some 30% said they would be more likely to visit stores if brands stopped product testing.

The respondents considered precautions like single-dose sampling, complimentary hand sanitisers, touch-free payments and prohibiting returns as methods to ensure the safety of shoppers.

With many consumers approaching the inter-Covid era with caution, beauty and wellness spaces will have to further prioritise the importance of Recuperative Living as a way to regain customer trust.