RBB Inc

Part 1: Need Identification and Goal Statements

The consumption of disposable cutlery, in particular plastic, has been a household staple for generations in
developed countries. To those that use disposable cutlery, there are a myriad of benefits that arise such as the ease of
access, the price per unit, and many others. There are, however, a host of problems that arise from the consumption of this
product; these specific harms, comparatively outweigh the marginal benefit to the end consumer. Through identifying
problems with the status quo, and proper goal statements, a viable solution can be ascertained.
Under the current status quo, a host of problems arise in the production of disposable cutlery innately. Firstly, the
base component of disposable cutlery is petroleum, a highly non-renewable resource that has been increasingly consumed
as society has progressed. The actual purification of petroleum also results in toxic run offs and heavy pollutants entering
the atmosphere. Another main issues is the space that disposable cutlery fills within a landfill; a large component of
disposable cutlery which is polystyrene, a petroleum derivative, takes a minimum of fifty years to decompose and a
maximum of a thousand years. In order to limit the effects of this product, a solution must comparatively draw a better
resolution in its consumption.
Decided Goal Statement:
To design a reusable, recyclable and biodegradable version of disposable cutlery while keeping it cost effective;
maintain a product that is competitive in the market, which exceeds the marginal benefit achieved from substitute
products.
Part 2: Design Constraints and Criteria for the Design Goal
To properly identify the needs of the consumer to create the most accurate solution for the problem; proper
constraints provides cogent direction for the product which results in identification of desired and specific attributes
(Refer to Appendix A.1). Plastic Cutlery, a staple in Western Cultures, has been stagnant in its product growth, in order to
improve a universally accepted staple, many constraints must be listed.
For the Durability aspect of the product, it must match the existing status quo or exceed it. One of the current uses
of disposable cutlery revolves around consumption of foods that vary greatly in temperature; plastic spoons are used in
consumption of hot soups and cold desserts. As a result, the solution must withstand a variance in temperature (assumed
to be from -20 degree Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius) while maintain both shape and utility. In addition, the consumption
of food is not dry in nature, in fact most foods involve wet components, and as a result, the solution must also be liquid
resistant. Lastly, the importance of disposable cutlery is its ability to function as a substitute for steel cutlery; the solution
must be able to withstand pressure that is similar when consumers use it to cut through tough foods.
In terms of safety, consumer protection must be upheld to the highest degree, but environmental safety must also
be held peripherally. It is without a doubt that governing bodies like the International Standards Organization heavily
scrutinize new products, and thus it is important that the solution adheres to outlined requirements. Moreover, it is
important to have a product that poses no threat to the consumer when using the product. This includes and is not limited
to making sure the product poses little to no choking hazards, the product itself is rigid but also malleable to allow for
flexibility, and the product has no serrated edges other than the side needed for cutting food. Moreover, products that are
biodegradable are especially prone to lower shelf lives, and as a result, it may pose a threat to consumers if the product
degrades before use; it is of utmost importance to create a product that does not degrade in non-standard or ideal
temperatures. Overall, consumer protection is most important, and the product created must provide the same marginal
benefit one receives when using disposable plastic cutlery.
Keeping environmental safety concerns in mind, it is also important that the production of the product is both
environmentally friendly, and maximizes the use of existing infrastructure. The product itself should either be made from
recycled products, or be formed from the byproduct of producing an already existing product.
When creating a product, it is important to keep costs down so that the product is marketable and feasible. If the
product is extraneously expensive than firms have no incentive to purchase the product because the marginal benefit is
outweighed by the price. As a result, the product must be near the same price as the polystyrene alternative.

The end goal of this product is to improve on the previous product on a holistic level, but most importantly, the
green factor. As a result, it is important to create a product that easily decompose in landfills, and is readily accepted by
current
recycling
Research
PDS
Priority
programs.

Findings

It must have the

durability and
structure of
disposable cutlery
It must be safe for
consumer use (in
contact with food)
It must not be harmful
for the user or the
surrounding
environment
It must withstand
temperatures typical
of cutlery usage
It should be easily
recyclable at many
locations
The recycling process
should be easy
It should be coated with
natural ingredients
and chemicals
It should be cost
efficient and
inexpensive to
manufacture
It should have a retail
price less than 20
cents per unit
It should be made from
biodegradable
material
It could be aesthetically
pleasing with
potential range in
basic colours
It could be shaped to
increase packing
efficiency

Form
What will it look like?
What materials will you
use?
What size will it be?
What are its special
features?

Function
What is the type and
purpose of the product?
What will it do?
How will it do this?

User
Who is the product for?
What do they want this
product to do? Where/why
will they use it?
What do they want the
product to look like?

Costs
How much would the
product cost to
manufacture?
How much would it be sold
for?
How much profit would be
made on each product?
What is the scale of
production?

-High strength with rigidity

-Coated with liquid proof, hydrophobic material
(lignin)
-Fork: 15.2 x 2.5 x 10.2 cm
-less than 2.5 grams
-Easily stackable with efficient packaging
-Material: biodegradable, corrugated fiberboard with
lignin top layer
-Easily recyclable for disposal
-Variety of basic colours
-Withstand temperatures typical of disposable
cutleries

High
High
Medium
Medium
High
High
High
Low
High

-To use as an alternative to disposable cutlery

-Intended for consumers of all ages (take-out,
catering events, etc.)
-Same size as typical disposable cutlery
-Clean and sterilized
-No chemical leaching
-No taste with use and created with new materials
-Safe to use without any sharp or unrefined edges

High
High
Medium
High
High
Medium
High

-Product geared for consumers of all ages

-Can be utilized for all settings, form work to
elementary school
-Easily identifiable as biodegradable
-Use it for events that typically have cutlery for one
time use
-Ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing
-Reliable and durable quality
-Basic colours similar to existing cutlery products
(white, brown, black)

High
Medium
Medium
High
Medium
High
Medium

-Low manufacturing cost of cardboard (less than five

cents per square feet)
-Less than 7 cents to manufacture a unit, 2 cents for
materials, 5 cents for production and manufacturing
-Competitive retail price of 20 cents
-Much lower than costs of alternative biodegradable
and recyclable cutlery, on part with cost of plastic
cutlery
-13 cent profit for each unit
-Mass scale of production
-Large number of units sold to businesses

Medium
High

(Reference the below chart for a brief overview of product Design Specifications)

Product Design Specifications

Medium
High
High
Medium
High

Concept Generation
During our group meetings, we were able to come up with three creative
ideas to help solve our defined problem. Our first idea was to have a cardboard
spoon the length of an average finger. This minimizes the amount of material
being used and it is lightweight. The spoon would be flat so that it takes less room
when shipping/sending them to customers. When a customer would use the spoon
they would fold the end that they are holding in half so that they can pick up their

food. This idea definitely solved our problem however we came to a group consensus that the product was more useful as
a tester (ex: a tester in an ice-cream shop).
Our second idea was to make wooden cutlery because the concept is
becoming quite popular. However, after doing some more research we saw that
product was already being made by other companies. Also it was an expensive
process so we would have to sell it expensive to make some profit and that gives
customers no incentive to buy our product. Another issue that arose was the
overall increased consumption of trees, seeing that this product would rarely use
any recycled wood material, the product would mainly rely on more trees being
stripped.

the

Our third idea was to make a fiber glass blend with cardboard, because it
would have the rigid and waterproof aspect, but also be mainly recyclable. This
would allow us to create a product that is better than the status quo, however, it
still does not fully maximize a green solution. The problem arises when the
cutlery snaps under pressure, and would then become a danger to the consumer;
thus this solution turned out to be neither the greenest nor safe.
Our forth idea was centered around the idea of utilizing a cork like
material, one similar to wine bottles, and applying never wet as a coating. Since
cork comes from a tree, it would be a viable and renewable resource as a base, but
one issue was adhesive spray would erode. Another drawback was using more
cork would call for the stripping of more trees, which would also prove to be
harmful.
Our final idea, similar to the forth but both a safety and green
improvement, was to make cutlery out of cardboard and coat it with lignin. Lignin
an organic polymer that is found in the cell walls of many plants and can be used
a waterproofing layer on many materials. Usually cardboard is waterproofed by
wax coatings however these coatings are not
recyclable and they include many harmful
chemicals. Lignin however, is 100% recyclable, renewable and strengthens the
cardboard more than wax. In addition, cardboard is mainly composed of recycled
materials, which results in overall less consumption of trees.

the

is
as

Part 4 : Innovations and Creativity

At the beginning of the design project, brainstorming among the group was
conducted to generate a range of ideas on current needs and problems with the
environmental friendliness of existing products. All ideas were taken into consideration
and used in amalgamation to choose our selected problem. Our process included a list of the ideas, categorized based on
the similarity of concepts. A few of the ideas that appeared on multiple lists were: non-recyclable take out boxes,
inefficiency of packaging, toxicity of paint leading to water pollution, non-biodegradable dog poop bags and finally, nonrecyclable and non-biodegradable disposable cutlery which creates excessive waste in landfills. From this list of possible
needs and problems, each member of the group was given the task of researching one of the possible ideas.
Reconvening after research, the group discussed their findings. Using the method of paradigm shift, each member
had to shift perspectives and not think solely about the need they were researching but also accept new ideas from the
research done by other members of the group. The idea that the group agreed upon as the most promising idea with the

most pressing need and relevance to our daily lives was disposable cutlery as it it takes up large space in landfills, pollutes
the air and the ocean and is unsafe to reuse.
Through discussion, we arrived at a list of goals and constraints. We generated a couple of solutions and
brainstormed potential features for our redesigned product through a mind map (refer to Appendix A.2). Using the mind
map as a starting point, we decided upon more detailed product design specifications.
Finally, our group conducted further research and brainstormed possible materials that matched our criteria of a
biodegradable, recyclable and reusable cutlery (refer to Appendix A.3). Solutions that arose included folded cardboard
assembled by the consumer, wooden cutlery made out of birch and finally cardboard that was coated in lignin. All of these
ideas were taken into consideration, but as a group we decided the idea that met the most of our goals was the cardboard
cutlery coated with lignin. This solution also met the constraints we initially selected in our criteria. In all, many creative
thinking techniques were used to create our innovative design of biodegradable, reusable and recyclable cutlery.