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Cara

Cardboard Catch-all Tray

A biodegradable catch-all tray made from upcycled cardboard waste.

Cara transforms cardboard waste into a sustainable way to organize your items, bringing warmth and sustainability into your home. Molded from cardboard pulp and rice paste, Cara is fully biodegradable when its lifecycle ends, or Cara can be reshaped into new materials, continuing its lifecycle.

Year

Spring 2024

Timeline

8 weeks

Credits

Professor: Arunas Oslapas

◤ Breif

Remade: Designing with waste, not creating it.

ReMade focused on material exploration and entrepreneurship. We were challenged to create and sell sustainable products using reclaimed or recycled materials.

◤ Process

How Cara is made

  1. Cardboard is sourced from home delivery services and cut into small pieces.
  1. The cardboard is blended into a pulp with water and rice paste, which acts as a fully biodegradable binder.
  1. The pulp is strained and packed into a 3D-printed mold.
  1. The molds are clamped and left to dry, with holes at the bottom allowing excess water to drain.
  1. Once drained, the product is removed from the mold and placed in a dehydrator for further drying.
  1. The product is lightly sanded before packaging is put on.

◤ Design Outcome

Cara

Cardboard Catch-all Tray

AO Project

Adventure Backback

Sona

Ultrasonic Thawer

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