Eco-Friendly Dispensing

GreenSpense

Client
GreenSpense
Discipline
Plastics & Mechanical engineering

The right strategy for the right technology

This project is a good opportunity to talk about the communication aspect of industrial design.
We got to know GreenSpense after they invented safe propellant-free continuous dispensing: as revolutionary as the technology is, the next big challenge for the company was to explain that innovation to the market. Within our long-term partnership, Nekuda helped GreenSpense not only find a right communication strategy to propel their technology to the market, but also translate this strategy into sustainable, ready-for-production packaging solutions.

Hairsprays, air fresheners, shaving gels, sunscreens, deodorants and other aerosol sprays are usually packaged as an aluminum can that contains a payload and propellant under pressure. When you press down on the actuator, propellant expands and drive the liquid out — this technology called bag-on-valve. Its biggest problem is high flammability (while expanding inside, propellant also evaporates outside), hence an array of packaging regulations around it that were put in place to prevent an explosion. That is why, for example, all aerosol sprays are tall and have a negative round bottom.

The precise material

GreenSpense invented a durable propellant-free alternative to bag-on-valve that potentially can redefine the whole packaging paradigm. Their continuous dispensing system is based on the proprietary elastomer technology that enables high pressure and provides high load resistance. This invention will dramatically simplify production, handling, storage and transportation requirements: there is no propellant involved which means packaging can be so much more diverse. Many materials and shapes that weren’t safe for an aerosol spray before now back to the table: glass, cardboard, even plastic. GreenSpense wanted to communicate their innovation to various industries, and that is where Nekuda stepped in.

The vision trough precise prototyping

To comprehend the unfamiliar idea, we created a range of high-level concepts that properly highlight different use cases of this technology: homecare products, cosmetics and food. But to catch the interest of professionals, it had to be more than an eye-popping concept, it had to be a packaging that exists in real world. A packaging that is cost-effective and advantageous, that meets drop tests, heat test and many other criteria. So we went through and designed ready-to-fill packaging prototypes for the targeted industries.
Traditionally, a project like this would be a two-agency job: strategizing a vision and having actual technical skills to design real-life prototypes without abandoning this vision. Nekuda is proud to be company that can do both.

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