ECO Soap Design Study

An innovative design study by Sonic:

"Over the last years consumer have broadly embraced the look and convenience of soap dispenser. They are not only easy to use, clean and sanitary, they also deliver very consistent amounts of product. The mechanics is simple and lasts, but like spray bottles, the pump incorporates multiple parts and a metal spring, all destined to go into the garbage bin, way before the unit stops working. Considering today’s environmental  challenges, it is rather unfortunate that these complex products are disposable and consumers reject the concept of refillable packaging, whether it is offered for toothpaste, hand soap, window cleaner or beverages. Specializing in structural packaging New York based Design firm SONIC gave the category a fresh look and developed a dispenser for hand and cleaning soap, which could dramatically reduce the impact of soap dispensers on the environment."

"The ECO dispenser is based on the idea that consumer would keep the dispenser unit with pump mechanism and only replace the actual product cartridge. Blow-molded in standard, recyclable PET the walls are ultra-thin to reduce material and to allow the bottle to collapse for recycling processing. Considering that shipping has great impact on the carbon footprint of any product, the design of the pump and refill bottles are compact maximizing palette space.

The design of the injection-molded dispenser is intuitive and easy to use. For refill assembly the unit is simply placed onto the bottle neck and secured by a screw ring. During shipment the pump head is locked down to prevent unintentional discharge. The openings on the side walls of the main housing allow the user to see the fill level of the soap, while the rubber ring around the bottom edge provides a secure stand.

Alternatively the refill container could be a Tetra pack, which uses for most part paperboard and thin layers of plastic on both sides of the paper structure to protect the package from inside and outside moisture. The square shape and low ratio of package-to-content impact reduces the impact on the environment, as less transportation is needed compared to most other shapes and materials."