Boochi

Boochi

Boochi

In small urban populations, the average resident produces between 400 and 600kg of waste per year – all of which ends up in the landfill in most cases. Half of this amount consists of organic waste that is disposed of with general household rubbish including single-use plastic cutlery and dinnerware.
Over the last decades, mass media have covered the problem of plastic polluted oceans and the gravity of its impact on sea dwellers. As a result, coastal towns across the globe took action and introduced beach clean ups and climate change awareness events. Single-use plastic products form a large proportion of this plastic waste in the ocean. Single-use food packaging, dinnerware and cutlery are included in this.
In communities where there is close connection to the sea, the need to preserve and repair this crucial natural environment and resource is actively being engaged with by the people of those communities. This project focuses on adding value to biodegradable waste material (from Kombucha production) to give it a second life as a tangible product that addresses single-use food-related products.
Once at the landfill, general household rubbish is compressed albeit lacking optimal conditions for decomposition. Instead, greenhouse gasses such as methane and other fugitive gasses are produced which contributes to a global temperature increase as well as polluting the atmosphere.
Domestic and/or commercial composting, however, significantly reduce the amount of organic waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
First, organic waste is identified, then separated from household waste, and introduced to a contained composting facility. Microorganisms break it down into nutrient rich matter that can, for instance, serve as a fertiliser for gardens. Yet, between consumption and composting, an organic product’s life cycle can be extended through the practice of resource recovery. Therein, waste is processed into a similar or new product, and its value is returned.
Hence, this project addresses this very subject through an extensive material investigation of S.C.O.B.Y. (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). It challenges contemporary Western material culture and manufacturing practices as well as promoting ethical resource and waste management to both the producer and the consumer.
S.C.O.B.Y. is produced during the fermentation of Kombucha. It comprises a mat-like layer of bacterial cellulose that forms on the surface of a tea, sugar, water, and vinegar mixture. Once a full fermentation cycle has been completed, the S.C.O.B.Y. becomes redundant and turns into a waste product. However, as a biopolymer, it is 100% compatible with organic matter, and it biodegrades within 90 days.
Boochi investigated the material qualities of S.C.O.B.Y. in the hope of producing a product that has a positive impact on its immediate environment. By applying production practices relevant to product design, the ability to manufacture on a small scale was developed. Over a year of research familiarity was gained about the qualities of S.C.O.B.Y. by growing, harvesting, and exposing it to material tests pertinent to the textile industry.
After many tests and experiments, a compostable cutlery collection made entirely from the S.C.O.B.Y. bacterial cellulose was conceptualised. The product family caters to both left and right-handed consumers and has a high level of tactility due to the material’s leather-like haptics. Furthermore, each piece is covered with a beeswax and starch-based bioplastic to create a barrier against liquids and to retain a neutral odour. Thus, the collection remains biodegradable.
The product is suitable for social gatherings in both indoors and outdoors, and can be discarded of in a domestic or commercial compost bin after use.
The product life cycle goes as follows: S.C.O.B.Y. is harvested by the Kombucha producer, then supplied to and processed by a small scale manufacturer, and sold to and at an ethical grocery store. Subsequently, it is bought and used by an environmentally conscious consumer and disposed of in a domestic or commercial compost. There, it disintegrates and turns into organic matter that can then be used as a fertiliser for gardens.
The benefit of introducing S.C.O.B.Y. into the area of industrial design includes the provision of an alternative to materials derived from finite resources such as crude oil. The bacteria simply replenish themselves if exposed to the appropriate conditions and will therefore interminably constitute a reliable source for materials. Kombucha is gaining more and more recognition for being a healthy soft drink alternative, making S.C.O.B.Y. readily available and usable, even once rancid. Another compelling quality of the material is its biocompatibility and that fact that it has a positive impact on the environment. Lastly, the material offers new design possibilities and showcases the potential of waste materials that can enter into a new life cycle. Not only does it perpetuate the conversation about sustainable materials in product design, it presents a feasible, accessible solution that can be implemented today to reduce or even remove single-use plastic in this product area.

In small urban populations, the average resident produces between 400 and 600kg of waste per year – all of which ends up in the landfill in most cases. Half of this amount consists of organic waste that is disposed of with general household rubbish including single-use plastic cutlery and dinnerware.
Over the last decades, mass media have covered the problem of plastic polluted oceans and the gravity of its impact on sea dwellers. As a result, coastal towns across the globe took action and introduced beach clean ups and climate change awareness events. Single-use plastic products form a large proportion of this plastic waste in the ocean. Single-use food packaging, dinnerware and cutlery are included in this.
In communities where there is close connection to the sea, the need to preserve and repair this crucial natural environment and resource is actively being engaged with by the people of those communities. This project focuses on adding value to biodegradable waste material (from Kombucha production) to give it a second life as a tangible product that addresses single-use food-related products.
Once at the landfill, general household rubbish is compressed albeit lacking optimal conditions for decomposition. Instead, greenhouse gasses such as methane and other fugitive gasses are produced which contributes to a global temperature increase as well as polluting the atmosphere.
Domestic and/or commercial composting, however, significantly reduce the amount of organic waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
First, organic waste is identified, then separated from household waste, and introduced to a contained composting facility. Microorganisms break it down into nutrient rich matter that can, for instance, serve as a fertiliser for gardens. Yet, between consumption and composting, an organic product’s life cycle can be extended through the practice of resource recovery. Therein, waste is processed into a similar or new product, and its value is returned.
Hence, this project addresses this very subject through an extensive material investigation of S.C.O.B.Y. (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). It challenges contemporary Western material culture and manufacturing practices as well as promoting ethical resource and waste management to both the producer and the consumer.
S.C.O.B.Y. is produced during the fermentation of Kombucha. It comprises a mat-like layer of bacterial cellulose that forms on the surface of a tea, sugar, water, and vinegar mixture. Once a full fermentation cycle has been completed, the S.C.O.B.Y. becomes redundant and turns into a waste product. However, as a biopolymer, it is 100% compatible with organic matter, and it biodegrades within 90 days.
Boochi investigated the material qualities of S.C.O.B.Y. in the hope of producing a product that has a positive impact on its immediate environment. By applying production practices relevant to product design, the ability to manufacture on a small scale was developed. Over a year of research familiarity was gained about the qualities of S.C.O.B.Y. by growing, harvesting, and exposing it to material tests pertinent to the textile industry.
After many tests and experiments, a compostable cutlery collection made entirely from the S.C.O.B.Y. bacterial cellulose was conceptualised. The product family caters to both left and right-handed consumers and has a high level of tactility due to the material’s leather-like haptics. Furthermore, each piece is covered with a beeswax and starch-based bioplastic to create a barrier against liquids and to retain a neutral odour. Thus, the collection remains biodegradable.
The product is suitable for social gatherings in both indoors and outdoors, and can be discarded of in a domestic or commercial compost bin after use.
The product life cycle goes as follows: S.C.O.B.Y. is harvested by the Kombucha producer, then supplied to and processed by a small scale manufacturer, and sold to and at an ethical grocery store. Subsequently, it is bought and used by an environmentally conscious consumer and disposed of in a domestic or commercial compost. There, it disintegrates and turns into organic matter that can then be used as a fertiliser for gardens.
The benefit of introducing S.C.O.B.Y. into the area of industrial design includes the provision of an alternative to materials derived from finite resources such as crude oil. The bacteria simply replenish themselves if exposed to the appropriate conditions and will therefore interminably constitute a reliable source for materials. Kombucha is gaining more and more recognition for being a healthy soft drink alternative, making S.C.O.B.Y. readily available and usable, even once rancid. Another compelling quality of the material is its biocompatibility and that fact that it has a positive impact on the environment. Lastly, the material offers new design possibilities and showcases the potential of waste materials that can enter into a new life cycle. Not only does it perpetuate the conversation about sustainable materials in product design, it presents a feasible, accessible solution that can be implemented today to reduce or even remove single-use plastic in this product area.

Each piece of cutlery varies in size, with the biggest one - the serving spoon - being 200x60mm. The collection is made from bacterial cellulose extracted after the fermentation of Kombucha. It is then glazed with beeswax to make it food and compost safe.

Each piece of cutlery varies in size, with the biggest one - the serving spoon - being 200x60mm. The collection is made from bacterial cellulose extracted after the fermentation of Kombucha. It is then glazed with beeswax to make it food and compost safe.

https://www.red-dot.org/project/boochi-48356

https://www.facebook.com/charlotte.klinge1/

My name is Charlie. I graduated with a Bachelor (Hons) in industrial design this year after four years of studying at Massey University in Wellington. My interests lie in bridging the gap between science and people and using scientific findings to inform real-life solutions. I particularly enjoy finding solutions that address both sustainability and human-centred design.

Wellington, New Zealand