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Eliminate Plastic Waste in Grocery Shipping Chains

duration

8 weeks (2022)

role

Design Lead, Product Designer

tools

Figma, Illustrator, Rhino, KeyShot

context

Oftentimes cardboard boxes are shipped with plastic stretch film in pallets, but only a few of them actually get recycled. With the ubiquity of ordering from groceries and large corporations like Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Whole Foods Market, the large use of stretch film continues to be uncertain for sustainability efforts.

Grocery
Plastic waste
Shipping chains
Sustainability
solution
Warp
Product design
Package solution
Brand identity
Warp is an innovative B2B solution designed to replace the traditional stretch film from shipping between grocery stores and suppliers which is commonly made out of non-biodegradable plastics. Warp is a reusable, durable, and cost-efficient packaging gadget that is effective in guarding merchandise against environmental damage and at the same time keeping them stable from shipping, where it is created from recycled materials, such as old fishing nets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a recycled plastics that made to be remade.
sustainability
Problem Statement
Stretch film, a plastic wrap widely used in the retail industry for securing and protecting merchandise during shipment, has become a significant concern for sustainability efforts. Major retailers such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Whole Foods Market frequently use this non-biodegradable polyethylene (PE) product when shipping goods from suppliers and warehouses. Despite its pervasive use, only a minimal amount of this material ends up being recycled. Consequently, the extensive use of stretch film in shipping processes continues to pose a substantial challenge for environmental sustainability.
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sustainability
Research Methods
During week 1 - week 2,
1. Buzz Report/ Popular Media Scan
2. Trends Matrix
3. Ten types of innovation framework
4. Innovation Landscape
5. Initial Opportunity Map
During week 3 - week 4,
1. SWOT
2. Competitor and Complementors Map
During week 5 - week 6,
1. Observations to Insights
2. Venn Diagramming
3. Compelling Experience Map
a. In-Store & Behind-The-Store
To discover design opportunities from both in-store and behind-the-store in grocery stores, and to identify sustainability issues in today’s large corporations.

Ethnographic Observation (n=6)
We conducted ethnographic observations from in-store and backyard, in 6 different grocery stores in Savannah, GA.
b. Employees & Operations
‍To discover design opportunities from both inTo gather a deeper understanding of employees’ behaviors and operations in grocery stores in terms of packaging, shipping, and waste management.

Interview & Diary Study (n=7)
We conducted interviews with grocery store employees and followed up with a diary study to track their behaviors.
To replace the use of stretch films in shipping chains among grocery stores in order to reduce plastic waste from large corporations.
sustainability
Design Opportunity
sustainability
Problem Statement
Stretch film, a plastic wrap widely used in the retail industry for securing and protecting merchandise during shipment, has become a significant concern for sustainability efforts. Major retailers such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Whole Foods Market frequently use this non-biodegradable polyethylene (PE) product when shipping goods from suppliers and warehouses. Despite its pervasive use, only a minimal amount of this material ends up being recycled. Consequently, the extensive use of stretch film in shipping processes continues to pose a substantial challenge for environmental sustainability.
sustainability
Research Methods
During week 1 - week 2,
1. Buzz Report/ Popular Media Scan
2. Trends Matrix
3. Ten types of innovation framework
4. Innovation Landscape
5. Initial Opportunity Map
During week 3 - week 4,
1. SWOT
2. Competitor and Complementors Map
During week 5 - week 6,
1. Observations to Insights
2. Venn Diagramming
3. Compelling Experience Map
a. In-Store & Behind-The-Store
To discover design opportunities from both in-store and behind-the-store in grocery stores, and to identify sustainability issues in today’s large corporations.

Ethnographic Observation (n=6)
We conducted ethnographic observations from in-store and backyard, in 6 different grocery stores in Savannah, GA.
b. Employees & Operations
‍To discover design opportunities from both inTo gather a deeper understanding of employees’ behaviors and operations in grocery stores in terms of packaging, shipping, and waste management.

Interview & Diary Study (n=7)
We conducted interviews with grocery store employees and followed up with a diary study to track their behaviors.
To replace the use of stretch films in shipping chains among grocery stores in order to reduce plastic waste from large corporations.
sustainability
Design Opportunity
a. Sustainable and Economical Alternatives to Plastic Stretch Films
‍Construct a plan to invent a reusable substitute for plastic stretch films, ensuring it won't notably increase total operational costs. This plan must prioritize financial and ecological sustainability, considering initial production costs and long-term disposal and recycling expenses. The ultimate goal is to create a functional, practical, and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional retail packaging.
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b. Leveraging Recycled, Recyclable, and Biodegradable Materials for a Sustainable Future in the Shipping Industry
‍Construct a plan to invent a reusable substitute for plastic stretch films, ensuring it won't notably increase total operational costs. This plan must prioritize financial Construct an innovative solution by harnessing materials that have either been recycled or are inherently recyclable or biodegradable. This environmentally-friendly approach should ideally minimize waste, promote circular economy practices, and offer a sustainable alternative for the current shipping and packaging industry.
sustainability
Concept Development
By utilizing the insights gathered from interviews, diary studies, and observations, we applied several design methods that guide our concept development, for example: Observation to Insights, to discover the inner nature from our observation at grocery stores; Venn Diagram, to analysis clusters of entities that overlap.
Warp is a reusable, durable, and cost-efficient packaging gadget to keep merchandise stable and secured on pallets during shipping.
Targeted Painpoint:
Oftentimes merchandises and boxes are shipped with plastic stretch film, but in fact only a few of them actually get recycled.
sustainability
Prototyping and testing
We created a workable rapid prototype by using elastic strings and cardboard materials for idea visualization and user testing by utilizing 3D printing technology to illustrate how our concept works in abstract terms.
Sustainability
The Materials & The Functions
The outer shield of Warp is made out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a type of plastic that is clear, strong, lightweight, and 100% recyclable. Unlike other types of plastics, PET is not made for single use but made to be remade.The net of Warp, which is for wrapping and keeping the merchandise boxes secure in place, is made out of old and recycled fishing nets, making Warp more adjustable and flexible when wrapping merchandise compared to plastic stretch films.
Warp is a reusable, durable, and cost-efficient packaging gadget designed to protect merchandise against environmental damage, (such as crashing box’s corners from collision) and holding merchandise boxes tight and stable in pallets when shipping.
To use Warp, first, unlock the Warp cube, then expand its top four corners to the width of the merchandise from the top, pull the bottom four corners down to the bottom of the merchandise, and lock its corners when the merchandise is tight and secured.
case study
The Finance
With the implementation plan, Warp aims to maintain reliability in the first year of production, produce highly profitable products in year five for company expansion, and become a large corporation in ten years of time.
A Warp cube is priced at $100. The price includes a non-manufacturing cost, $23.5 total cost for salary, marketing, shipping, and distribution expenses; a manufacturing cost, $6.5 total cost for molding, material, labor, and outsourcing expenses in 10K production units. $70 profit made for each Warp cube sold.
cost breakdown
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