More Screwing With Booze

Back in March we posted a Blips about The Next Wave In Soda Packaging: AluminumBottles. Well, it seems to be a hot topic right now in beverage packaging. I'm sure you have all seen screw top wines popping up at liquor stores and restaurants. It used to something you would only find on cheap wines or on airplanes because the screw top could withstand the cabin pressure. Now with cork forests being depleted by the wine industry, aluminium is the next and best alternative. There is a trend to go "screw top".

A study by Wine Business Monthly found growing consumer acceptance of screw-top wines. 

“The usage of screw caps continues to be boosted by an increasing impression among wine makers that consumers’ opinions of the closures are improving. And although natural corks remain the most widely used closure – 78% of responding wineries use natural cork for at least part of their 750ml bottles – alternatives are being used more for low- and mid-priced wines, and are now even being considered for use with wines at price-points of $25 and above.”

There are a number of reasons that ROPP closures are being applied in ever increasing numbers in the wine, spirits, soft drink, and beer industries. These include:

• Greater shelf appeal through the wide variety of colors and styles – product differentiation
• Improved product protection in terms of taste – superior barrier protection against oxygen ingress and carbonation loss
• Tamper-evident protection provided through the integral pilfer band
• Brand protection from counterfeiting through the use of non-refillable fitments
• Price stability and assured supply versus the limited availability of high-quality natural corks
• Flexibility – can be used for hot-fill, carbonated, or retort applications
• Containers can be resealed – which cannot be done with crown closures or corks

So next time you are picking out a bottle of wine, don't be turned off by the screw cap, it's jsut as good if not better. And recycle the top and you'll feel even better about your buzz. 

(via Food and Beverage Packaging)

No More Flat Tires!

Finally, no more flats! 

Wisconsin-based Resilient Technologies, a company that develops "advanced mobility products," makes something these mazing tires for motor vehicles: The Non-Pneumatic Tire.

EOps x Michael Young x Colette Headphones

I love when technology meets sustainability! These headphones designed by Michael Young for EOps and exclusively sold at Colette in Paris are made of recycled steel, aluminum, and cornstarch bio plastics. Beyond the sustainability factor, the headphones are made to work with Apple products. It also has extra large 50mm Titanium coated HD driver unit with neodymium iron boron magnet which in other words means it will kick your other headphones ass generating some of the most powerful sound in portable headset sound delivery! More cool gadgets for the holiday list!

A Bike Made of Bamboo

I've seen a few people cruising around NYC on bikes made of bamboo and thought they looked interesting, but I came across these images yesterday, and I have to say, this bamboo bike is the most beautiful I've ever seen.

It is a unique bamboo show bike made by Craig Calfee, founder and bike frame designer at Calfee Design.

And bamboo bikes are not just beautiful to look at. It turns out that bamboo is an ideal material for bikes; it is extremely strong and lightweight, great for absorbing shock and vibration, as well as one of the most environmentally sustainable design materials around (bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth!).

Calfee Design is now starting to teach people in Africa how to build bamboo bikes, hoping to spur economic development in areas that sorely need it.

PopSop: Trends Driving Innovations in Packaging

To Read the article on PopSop, Click Here. 

Build & Write: DIY Pen

This is pretty cool! The best part is everything comes in this one flat sheet. I love the part where you heat the rubber to form around the pen.

DIY Pen from FRASER ROSS on Vimeo.