Italy - BIOPLASTIC MUGS WITH ORANGE PEELS

2019-12-05

The international design office, the innovative CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, in cooperation with the global energy company Eni, has developed an experimental circular juice that uses oranges to make bioplastics, turns it into a filament and prints disposable 3D cups to drink freshly squeezed juice. The prototype, called 'Feel the Peel', begins touring public places throughout Italy over the next few months, trying to present a new approach to ecology in everyday life.
 
"Feel the Peel" is a device for squeezing oranges with a height of 3.10 meters, crowned with a dome filled with 1500 oranges. When someone orders juice, the oranges slide into the juicer. When each orange is cut in half, its peel falls to the bottom, where it accumulates. Through the drying, milling and mixing process with polylactic acid (PLA), the skins become bioplastics. The bioplastic is then heated and fused to a filament that is used by a 3D printer built into the machine. The resulting cups can be used to drink freshly squeezed juice and then be recycled.
More: https://carloratti.com/project/feel-the-peel/