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PHASE: Refinement >

Shampoo in a box
Introducing delivery of a
portion of shampoo in a
reusable box
Written by Vivek Patil
Updated on 22:21, Aug 31, 2017 20 8
Please note: The container shown in this video is the
coffee-shot container that was bought from Amazon and
not anything developed by the author.
(https://www.amazon.com/SToK-Caffeinated-264-Count-
Single-Serve-
Packages/dp/B00284TTG2/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?
ie=UTF8&qid=1503441090&sr=8-2&keywords=stok)

A typical low-income household in a

developing nation requires purchase of
toiletries in small volumes such as 10
mL. Their financial circumstances
prevent them from buying in bulk due
to lack of disposable income. The
frequency in which family members
need this purchase is often variable. But
the amount of waste generated from
these sachets, at the end of a year is
enormous. What if they get all these
toiletries in just one box per person for
the whole year?

Take example of typical Indian

household. Before the plastics and
sachet economy made its way into
small villages in India, the use of
cosmetics, such as talcum powder was
common. During this time, these would
be stored in metal (Aluminum or
copper), glass or wooden boxes called
‘dibbi’ (िडब्बी). One can use the similar
form of storage but with a modern
material called ‘Polylactic acid’.
 Shampuchi dabbi

(The publicity video about this product,

also explaining the issue of sachets
waste in the local language of
Maharashtra, India)

Plastic made from polylactic acid is

biodegradable. It can be used to make a
small sized box with a holding capacity
of 10 mL of fluid. If required, it can have
an additional coating to avoid any
chemical interaction with shampoo. The
users can buy this container, named
ShampooBox from a company which is
interested in reducing waste generation
due to its products. ShampooBox will
have a leak-proof lid. Now, the company
will keep refilling containers as

shown in the figure 'A', to refill

ShampooBox. One rotation of the knob
on the dispenser will deliver product
equivalent in portion to volume of a
sachet. The cost will be paid with each
refill (say Rs.₹2.5 per refill).
ShampooBox will have a marking inside
to check whether the volume of the
refilled product is same as what is
mentioned.

This refilling will be done in front of

customers directly from the company-
provided tamper-proof container. Hence
there would not be any chance of
mistrust about quality or any doubt
about contamination of the product.
The cost of ShampooBox will be in the
range of cost of one-shot of product
(say, ₹ 4/ShampooBox). It has to be
bought by customer only once and it
will easily last for a year. Since it will be
easily washed after every use, it can dry
till next day with no efforts and can also
be used on every-day basis if required.

The initial ShampooBox can be ordered

by sending a text message from mobile
phone (upto 4 containers for a mobile
number)

The additional cost of ShampooBox for

customers will be offset by the
reduction in cost of one portion of
shampoo (say ₹2.5/portion instead of
₹3/ sachet), since the packaging cost is
eliminated. ShampooBox can be made
in different shapes for different family
members (kids and adults), keeping the
holding capacity same.
Assumptions:

The assumption is that users will be

carrying their container whenever they
are going to buy shampoo. I would like
to know how can I test this without
actually making the ShampooBox with
all its features (durability, ease of use,
attractive look)?

Prototyping and testing:

I made a video explaining the way the

container will be used to refill the
shampoo at store and got some
feedback from my village (through my
volunteer network), which is
representative of the BoP community I
plan to serve through this product.

How would I get different brands to

collaborate for this solution?

If one brand is willing to invest in this

new system of shampoo delivery, then
the others brands will not want to be
left behind. Hence, they will need to
necessarily participate in the testing of
this system. If it turns out to be working
very well in some communities, they
can continue their business without
lagging behind others.

What is the main assumption/key

question that I have about your
solution?

The assumption is that users will be

carrying their container whenever they
are going to buy shampoo. I would like
to know how can I test this without
actually making the ShampooBox with
all its features (durability, ease of use,
attractive look)? I plan to make a video
explaining the way the container will be
used to refill the shampoo at store and
get feedback from my village (through
my volunteer network), which is
representative of the BoP community I
plan to serve through this product.

How would I account for high volume

periods at refill station? How could you
address this?

To avoid the possibility of waiting time

for refill in a store, coin-operated
shampoo dispensers from different
companies will be prototyped and
tested in the next stage.

With this solution, could users bring

their own containers or other people
copy the container?

There is a limitation of brand

recognition in the case of users bringing
their own container. If the container is
given by the shampoo-making company
itself, then :

1. They can have logo of their brand

on it

2. The standard volume of container

and measurement markings on it will
ensure right quantity of shampoo is
delivered

How would you differentiate yourself?

1. Brand recognition

2. Personal touch to the product

3. Benefit to customers from lower price
of refill as compared to a sachet

Would this be through the delivery

model?

It will be through the existing delivery

model.

Idea Title
ShampooBox

Website
http://ShampooBox.weebly.com

Where are you / your team

located?
Alabama, USA

How does this Idea redesign

unrecyclable small format
plastic items that often end up
as waste?
Small format plastic waste in the form
of a shampoo sachet will be replaced by
a single box which will be used
repeatedly for a long period of time.
Hence, all the multi-layered plastic
waste generated due to sachets will be
totally eliminated. This can potentially
save $80-120 billion in value
(http://www.eco-
business.com/news/unilever-moves-to-
close-the-loop-on-polluting-plastic-
sachets/) or around 10% of the total
plastic packaging in the world.

Which use cases does your

Idea apply to?
Saatwika, waste collector in Pune &
Rajata, working mother in Kerala (Both,
India)

In what geographical context

or area does your Idea plan to
operate / solve?
Initially, all over India (particularly BoP
localities). Potentially, all developing
countries around the world.

How do you envision scaling

up your Idea?
The idea needs to be taken up by a
large FMCG company who is interested
in reducing the waste generated due to
sachets. They will need assistance from
designers to design low-cost
ShampooBox with all the necessary
storage properties. This will be the most
important step.
The customers need to be educated
about the potential cost savings for
them over a period of time as well as
environmental benefits of doing it for
their community (e.g. reduced waste
around the area they live in).

At what stage of development

is your Idea?
Research & Early Testing: You are
exploring an idea, gathering
inspiration and information needed
to test it with real users.
Prototyping: You have conducted
some small tests or experiments with
prospective users and will continue
developing idea through these tests.

Please describe how becoming

a Top Idea and working with
the Think Beyond Plastics
Accelerator Program will help
to accelerate your solution.
My goal is to eliminate waste generated
due to small sachets packaging by
introducing re-usable box. This concept
is new but also promising. One has to
build a culture around this concept.
I would do efforts to make this idea
reach manufacturers of shampoo and
other FMCG products. Becoming a top
idea will help this concept gain wider
attention and public acceptance.
The Accelerator program will enable me
to build contacts with potential FMCG
partners who can help in testing
prototype.

Please describe from where

your Idea emerged
I often go and stay in my village in India,
where many of the products of daily
use are stored in small metal boxes.
They have good longevity and I got the
idea of personalising the ‘personal care’
products from there.

Tell us about your work

experience
I am doing PhD in waste to energy, I
have work experience in petrochemical
sector for two years and
research/development experience in
making household waste to energy
prototypes.

Please describe your legal and

organizational structure
Individual

Please describe, in detail, your

business model and how you
intend to test and iterate this
model.
The suppliers of shampoo need to be
convinced about selling their product in
dispenser. The brands will have the
opportunity to print their logo on the
containers and hence get promoted.
The shopkeepers will have monetary
incentive due to higher margin on
shampoo dispensers than sachets. The
customers will be given shampoobox
for free in initial stages, for them to
start using it. They can order it using
SMS from their mobile phone. The limit
will be 4 containers per mobile number.

Please explain how your

innovation will work within,
potentially improve, and
provide benefit to the plastics
system.
The shampoo re-fill will be given in a
plastic container that is re-usable. Two
materials are required: for the dispenser
and for the re-fillable container. The
dispenser will be taken back by the
company who makes the liquid
shampoo and re-used, hence retaining
its value. The shampoo container will
inherently be made of material with
longevity due to the nature of its
intended application. While purchasing
a new ShampooBox, the old one can be
exchanged for one refill. It will then be
re-molded.
Please describe, in depth, how
your solution will reduce the
overall environmental
footprint of packaging.

The use of re-fillable containers will

make the volume of plastic go down by
>99%. It is not hard to see how much
pollution that would’ve been added by
burning/ improper disposal of sachets
to the environment is avoided in this
case. The recycling of containers will
need less energy as compared to
synthesizing new material. The reduced
volume and complexity of plastic waste
will bring the transportation cost down
and hence encourage collection and
recycling of these containers.

Please outline how your

design, material, and delivery
choices will influence price,
and how you intend to address
the price increase that may
result from this solution.

There are two options to take care of

financial viability of this product by the
shampoo-making company:
1. Giving out the containers for free and
deriving profits from re-filling of the
shampoo. In this case, price of 1 refill =
price of 1 sachet
2. Asking the customers to buy the
container (preferred). In this case, cost
of 1 refill < cost of 1 sachet. The
shampoo-makers just have to make the
cost of container within the limits of
cumulative price reduction for liquid
shampoo.

Please explain how your

solution will impact user
behavior, and what design
considerations you've included
to ensure easy and intuitive
interactions with your Idea.
This idea uniquely combines return (of
dispensers) and refill- reuse (of
containers) for the small volume
consumption of shampoo.
The behavior change required for
customers to carry the container
whenever they have to buy small
volume of shampoo will be achieved by
giving first refill free with the container.
Then the customers would already have
a container which they need to start re-
filling. Also, 3 to 4 customized designs
would give the product a personal
touch and ensure long term use.

Please describe how you

intend to use the prize
funding, if selected as a Top
Idea. Be specific.
The prize funding will be used for field
testing in THREE VILLAGES (3k
people), which includes buying bulk
quantity of shampoo, manufacturing a
batch of 'containers' & shampoo
'dispensers', employing a salesperson
and a manager and advertisements.

WRITTEN BY

Vivek Patil
Student

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20 COMMENTS

Join the conversation:

COMMENT

Lauren Ito
15:40, Aug 31, 2017

Hi Vivek Patil

As Refinement Phase quickly comes to a close in

8 hours, I want to remind you that the following
must be submitted by tonight, August 31st at 11:30
p.m. Pacific Time.

1. Submit the Refinement Questions Form online

that was sent again via email yesterday evening--
we have not yet received this from you. These
questions are mandatory for Top Ideas
 consideration, so this should be your first priority
in the final stretch.

2. A secondary priority, which is optional, is to

update your Refinement Phase post. I see you've
already updated your concept on the platform.
But please share any additional information,
photos, and documentation of your progress
throughout this Phase!

Looking forward to reviewing and celebrating the

amazing work you've achieved this Refinement
Phase!

report | link

Vivek Patil
18:49, Aug 31, 2017

Hi Lauren, thanks for the reminder. I will fill

out the form shortly.

report | link

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