Looking for reuse opportunities among the variety of packaging options available at Gracie’s Cafeteria (the largest dining facility in Monroe County), a waxed box was selected to study the feasibility of second life products. The goal was to create an appealing product with the least amount of work possible. A series of cuts and folding steps allow the user to have a unique looking box to carry goods. Along with the product design, a fixture was created for Gracie’s personnel to carry on with the process with no need of measuring tools. The fixture’s angles create an exact cut and the sides provide a pivot point for the folding process.
A deeper study was conducted to redesign the packaging itself to provide optimal function or both purposes: the original packaging and the transportation box (second life). For the second life product, the issues that were addressed were portability, ergonomic grip and a secure locking system that was easy to manufacture and was visually compatible with the packaging itself. The final model was proposed to design store SHOP 1 at RIT for consideration.
