Rethinking the bottle – sustainable design for toddlers

Challenge

The traditional design process for consumer goods is often inefficient in its material use, prioritising form, features and market appeal, often at the expense of environmental impact. This approach has led to widespread overengineering and material inefficiency. 

Products often exceed functional requirements, which can cause unnecessary consumption, and create complex recycling challenges and increase waste. 

The Design for Sustainability and Circularity (DfSC) framework, which is being developed by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult challenges manufacturers to position environmental impact at the heart of the early stages of product development, rather than as a constraint or an afterthought. 

Children’s water bottles, for example, often exceed functional requirements, generating unnecessary waste and rarely considering end-of-life (EOL) impacts. High safety standards in childcare products add further complexity, making the integration of sustainability difficult. The sector lacks a consistent approach to embedding circularity and sustainable design from the start. 

Solution

CPI, in collaboration with SLN Sustainability Ltd, applied the Design for Sustainability and Circularity (DfSC) framework  to redesign a toddler’s water bottle. The aim was to create a product that is safe, functional and inherently sustainable. 

The team took a data-driven approach to material selection, considering drinking water safety, impact resistance, manufacturability and environmental performance. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was integrated early to evaluate environmental impacts against planetary boundaries. Using an adapted double diamond design model, three material concepts were explored: bio-based polymer, metal and recycled plastic. To improve circularity, the final concept minimised material variety, using just two components – a rigid polymer and an elastomer – reducing production waste and simplifying EOL processes. 

Outcome

The iterative design process resulted in a proof-of-concept bottle that balanced safety, functionality and sustainability. LCA comparisons between bio-based polymer and recycled plastic options showed that the recycled plastic concept had a lower overall environmental impact, challenging common assumptions about “eco-friendly” materials. The evidence-based approach highlighted trade-offs and key hotspots, giving stakeholders actionable insights for decision-making. 

Impact

This project demonstrates how sustainability can be embedded from the outset. 

By aligning materials, manufacturing processes and EOL pathways with planetary boundaries, CPI and SLN Sustainability Ltd delivered a solution grounded in science. It demonstrates that sustainability does not need to be a trade-off, but rather a powerful enabler of function, form and future resilience. 

This approach offers a blueprint for how designers and engineers can both reduce harm and reimagine how products are conceived.

Funded by Innovate UK Business Growth and HVM Catapult.