4 things a week: creativity, compostability and citizenship

This week I've been worrying about my ability to be creative as I get older, thinking about the untapped potential we all have as citizens of communities and reflecting on the 3 years development process of our latest product launch from Morrama | Certified B Corp .

1. World

Ageing population. So we all know that birth rates are dropping and populations are ageing in countries all over the world. This puts pressure on health care services and means a smaller percentage of the population are supporting the economy. But something else that an ageing population affects is innovation. In the UK our R&D is critical to our economy, with us ranking 4th on the Global Innovation Index in 2022. But as we can see playing out in Japan, with a shrinking population comes a smaller pool of entrepreneurs and risk takers creating jobs and coming up with big ideas for society. Comfortable ageing directors hold on to their jobs for longer as pension age increases, preventing young, ambitious out of the box thinkers to step up and take the reins.?

What does it mean? Well, soon it might not be Switzerland, Korea or the U.S developing cutting edge technology, we will be looking at the likes of India, Malaysia or Eastern European countries like Bulgaria and Romania.?

But could we do something to keep an ageing population innovative? Why are we less creative as we age? Whilst it was previously suggested that our brains lose their ability to make new connections as we age, it new evidence suggests that this isn’t so cut and dry. Neuroscientist Paul King says that “We become prisoners of our own success. Sticking with what works makes us both more successful and less creative. Why be random when you can be right?”. Fair point. He also points out that “People who are in creative professions develop personal systems to stay creative. They make a lifestyle choice to stay in the uncomfortable territory of the unknown.” Good news for designers then! I guess this is even more reason for companies to bring in outside creative teams to give their increasingly mature teams a few new ideas.

2 (& 3) Morrama + Innovation.

OK, I’m cheating this week and rolling two into one. But I don’t want to make this longer than a 5 minute read and we’ve got a lot to get through.

This week we are excited to be able to share our latest work for cosmetics brand Wild; their new refillable shower gel. What’s unique? Well we’ve spent almost 3 years working with them to find a solution to the latest challenge facing the packaging industry; how do you transport liquids without plastic or high-energy aluminium. And finally we have found a solution. 100% plastic free, the Wild refills are made from a material derived from bamboo and starch from agriculture waste. At the end of life they can be placed in the home compost heap and will breakdown faster than a banana peel. Yes, this obviously means they start breaking down pretty soon after manufacture; after 6 months in fact, and so they have a shelf life. This approach of ‘designing for appropriate life-span’ is something that we will be seeing more of in the packaging industry as brands realise they don’t want to see their packaging washing on beaches 50 years later.?

Of course, there will always be the compostable (linear life-cycle) vs recyclable (circular life-cycle) question. In this case, the brief was clear; no plastic. That aside, there is still a very valid argument that a thin, lightweight plastic bottle may have lower carbon emissions, and would be recyclable. However with the latest findings from the 2022 UK Big Plastic Count showing that only 12% of plastic is actually recycled in the UK with most of it burned (47%), buried (25%) or shipped overseas (17%), it’s difficult to consistently back the circular economy viewpoint. That being said, what we have realised more than anything through this project is that there is no black and white and everything is based on context.?

Like Morrama, Wild are a brand not afraid of taking risks. The design of the Wild shower gel is such that if new material opportunities come along, the refill can be adapted whilst remaining compatible with the aluminium case. We believe it’s better to launch and remain agile than wait on the side lines.?

4. Inspiration?

My read this week is Citizens by Jon Alexander . A wonderful book packed with case studies of how thinking less like consumers and more like citizens can have a domino affect in transforming communities. He starts by highlighting that the average consumer sees somewhere between 1500 and 3000 commercial messages a day, reiterating the message that we are consumers, that we should be striving, we should be working hard, to buy, watch, eat, wear, experience bigger and better. Changing our mindset to believe the truth, that we are in fact citizens, results in an immediate shift in viewpoint. Not just about ourselves and our position in society, but of our goals, our work, our relationships and our opportunity to make a difference. I’m almost finished and when I am, I will pass the book on to whoever puts their hand up first. If you want it, let me know, all you have to do is promise you will pass it on to someone else afterwards.

There's a great TEDx talk about it here.

P.s. Just incase you got to the end of this and aren't sure who I am, I'm:

• an industrial designer (I design and engineer physical objects)
• founder of?Morrama | Certified B Corp
• former tutor of Design Futures at the?Royal College of Art
• co-instigator of?Design Declares