lokaReboon 2 | Yilingchen Design

lokaReboon

2024.2- 2024.4

KEYWORDS: Service Design, Brand Strategy, Sustainability
FEATURE: Work Project

About:

lokaReboon is a sustainable and environmentally friendly material created from recycled, disused balloons.
This project collaborates with lokaReboon Company to develop a comprehensive Cradle to Cradle system process for the existing production chain, recycle channels, and products. Building on this foundation, the project proposes a solution for the company's localisation in the UK through partnerships with wedding service providers.

Brand Story Development:

Build self-recycling system for cradle-to-cradle future.

Brand

Story

Desk Research

Field Research

Background:

Waste Colonialism

Developed countries, which produce large amounts of waste, often find it cheaper to export this waste to developing countries rather than dealing with it domestically.

The UK exports 1.57 million (456 shipments) tonnes of rubbish a year, 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment, 12% was incinerated, and only 9% of which had been recycled.

Animal Leather

The production and use of animal leather pose serious challenges across various environmental and health dimensions, including water footprint, waste sewage, carbon emissions, and the health impacts.

Our Solution:

Recycling, Resorting and Remaking Process

lokaReboon introduces a pioneering material crafted from wasted balloons, offering a sustainable, vegan alternative to animal leather that can reduce carbon emissions to 0.6%, featuring multiple natural colours without the use of dyes or the production of wastewater.

During the whole recycling, resorting and remaking process, no secondary dyeing and no wasted water was involved. Unlike traditional methods of balloon disposal, which can take up to 16 years to biodegrade, lokaReboon offers a fast and eco-friendly solution, helping the balloon industry achieve Cradle to Cradle.

Test:

Alternative to animal leather

As a superior alternative to animal leather, our material demonstrates higher colour durability and persistence after exposure to dry and wet friction, and washing.

We have achieved higher tensile strength, measuring 20kn/s, compared to cowhide at 13 kn/s and sheepskin at 11kn/s. Our products also feature higher average durability, significantly reduced carbon emissions, and operate under a strict "0 Dye 0 Wastewater" policy. Additionally, we own a patented recycling process for this innovative material.

Future Development

Our strategy targets partnerships with large balloon suppliers and stakeholders in the end-use markets such as parades, parties, and ceremonies, areas currently devoid of sustainable disposal solutions.

Additionally, lokaReboon caters to businesses and governmental organisations aiming to meet ESG goals by providing customised products that significantly reduce the carbon footprint.

Our diverse product range includes items from acoustic panels and cup coasters to shoe soles and race tracks, all crafted from recycled balloon materials.

Our Goal

Given the UK's status as one of the largest exporters of waste and its political commitment to sustainability, indicated by the 2028 environmental targets, lokaReboon is positioned to support these national objectives by promoting circular economy practices.

Our future plans involve expanding our reach to more brands and government bodies, helping them implement Cradle to Cradle practices through localised recycling initiatives. This strategy not only addresses environmental concerns but also supports the UK in achieving its waste reduction and recycling goals, making lokaReboon a critical player in the sustainable transformation of the industry.

UK Localisation Practice:

Transforming Moments into Memories.

Context

Starting Point:

Short lifespan of single-use products

Observation:

Partyware & 「One-time happiness」

Culture difference:

Considering the environmental impact from a global perspective.

What are the environmental impacts of rubber balloons?

We focus on single-use rubber balloons for their short lifecycle and significant environmental impact. Popular in celebrations for convenience, they carry hidden costs. Cross-cultural comparisons highlight usage differences, prompting a global perspective on their lifecycle — from production to disposal — and its environmental effects.

01. Two interacting factors are responsible for the short lifecycle of rubber balloons.

Consumers favor rubber balloons for their lightweight, low-cost, and convenience, while the low psychological cost of disposal and single-use culture drive their widespread use and quick disposal.

02. There is a challenge in persuading people to reduce their usage.

This duality makes reducing usage challenging, as rubber balloons can't be reused or repaired due to their material properties and cost.

However, repurposing and recycling provide viable solutions for managing rubber balloon waste.

Discover

Analysis:

01. Recycling is more effective when seen as protecting cherished values.

Traditional recycling programs become ineffective if rewards aren't engaging. Framing recycling as both an environmental act and a way to protect cherished values could make it more effective.

02. Unified collection with personal benefits boosts recycling.

When waste management splits collection and distribution, people are less motivated to recycle, causing more rubber balloons to be incinerated or landfilled. Offering tangible benefits could better encourage recycling.

03. Emotional attachment to items can drive behavior change.

To understand the extensive use of rubber balloons, we analyzed their underlying jobs-to-be-done and discovered that they carry emotional value and memories of joyful moments. Linking actions to emotionally meaningful items may encourage behavior change.

Define

HMW...

How might we...
encourage a shift in user behavior towards recycling rubber balloons

by leveraging...
emotional connections and loss aversion

to offer...
tangible personal benefits that are too valuable to forfeit.

Design Opportunities:

Emotional Value

Link behaviors to emotions.

Loss Aversion

A loss of precious value.

Tangible Benefits

Motivate recycling actions.

Develop

Design Direction:

Life circle of a rubber balloon

Recycle Feasibility

Our case study focuses on wedding ceremonies.

We propose a sustainable ritual where guests recycle used balloons into a blessing box. The recycled balloons would be transformed into bespoke mementos and returned to the couple, creating a lasting memory.

Stakeholder Analysis

Solution Owner Analysis

We assessed the interest and influence of stakeholders in the service proposal and identified venue providers as key players. They communicate with the couple, coordinate with balloon decoration studios, host the wedding, and manage balloon recycling, positioning them as the primary initiators of the ReRitual service.

International modern hotel chains show stronger sustainability awareness and needs. With their broad, global customer base, they are ideal partners for implementing this service.

Design Proposal:

Reflection:

Challenge of Changing Consumer Behavior:

Due to consumerism and mass production, advocating for sustainability is difficult. Rubber balloons, for instance, are designed for convenience and easy disposal, making it challenging to shift the ingrained "throwaway culture

Broader Impact of Design Decisions:

This challenge led me to reflect on the broader effects of our design choices, including potential chain reactions and economic impacts on existing supply chains. Our proposed solution may not change the world immediately, but it can serve as a meaningful start.

First-aid Design:

I view this solution as an "first-aid design" for sustainability—taking small, targeted actions in the rubber balloon industry to initiate change while exploring more feasible and eco-friendly alternatives.

COLLABORATION: