iTal - A project about a circular takeaway food container

Sep 27, 2026

Upload by aboduw

Fast-food and take-out packaging uses substantial materials that end up in landfills, recycling streams, composting, or litter because it is designed primarily for single use. With growing public concern over plastics, restaurants and vendors increasingly adopt bio-based and compostable alternatives, yet these changes rarely deliver a systemic shift toward a circular economy that preserves raw materials. The project develops a premium reusable container system for takeaway meals—borosilicate glass and stainless steel—and a circular service managing collection, cleaning, and supply to partner restaurants while protecting hygiene and consumer safety.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages110

Reading Time4 h 37 min

AccessFree to download

Personal motivation and background

The problems

The question

Research 1.0

The packaging waste problem

The takeaway food industry

End-of-life scenarios for single-use takeaway in the EU

Reducing waste in Sweden / The call for circularity

Research 2.0

Paper containers

Plastic and aluminum containers

Compostable containers

Identifying the gaps

Research 3.0

Defining my target group

Participatory design

The recycling stream

Research 4.0 Material selection

Focus #1-Environmental impact

Focus #2-Health aspect

Focus #3-Design

Research 5.0 Consumer perspectives

Research 6.0 Market analysis

Product journey mapping

Design development

Technical details

The circular service design

Potential pitfalls

iTAL Takeaway without the waste Charles Kumor Parker iTal: A project that explores the design of a circular takeaway food container. by Charles Kumor Parker Degree Project for Master of Fine Arts in Design Main Field of Study: Industrial Design from Lund University School of Industrial Design Department of Design Sciences Examiner: Lecturer Per L iljeqvist Supervisor: Lecturer Anna Persson Print Year: 2021 ISRN: LUT-DVIDE/ EX--21/50552-SE Abstract Packaging of fast food and take-out food involves a significant amount of material that ends up inlandfills, recycling and litter. This is because the packaging is designed only for a single-use. There’sno future in single-use products and that includes single-use takeaway packaging. Influenced by the negative image of plastic, individual restaurants and food vendors are increasingly switching to bio-based and compostable packaging alternatives in a bid to go green. In as much as these developments have the potential to reduce the environmental footprint of packaging and increase recycling, there is no fundamental system change towards a circular economy in which raw materials are preserved as much as possible. This project sought out to find a better alternative that protects our planet’s resources, minimizes emissions and resource use. The design challenge was to develop a premium reusable container for takeaway meals and a system to reuse towards a circular economy without compromising food hygiene or the safety of consumers. The result is in two parts; a reusable takeout food container made in borosilicate glass and stainless steel which is targeted at restaurants and customers who want to reduce their environmental footprint. The container offers the possibility of storing leftover food in the fridge or freezer and tossing it straight into the oven or the microwave without any worry of harmful chemicals leaching into the food as a result of heating. While both recycling and remanufacturing are important approaches to recover and retain material value in a circular economy, designing products so they may be reused ensures that materials remain in use for as long as possible, generating the maximum value for customers and businesses alike. iTal, the second part of the project, designs a circular service that manages the logistics involved in the delivery of takeout food aiming at delivering the same convenience single-use packaging offer but in a better way (collection, cleaning of containers and supplying to partner restaurants) . Table of content Personal motivation and background 04 The problems 06 The question! 08 Research 1.0 09 The packaging waste problem 10 The takeaway food industry 11 End-of-life scenarios for single-use takeaway in the EU 12 Reducing waste in Sweden / The call for circularity 13 In the news 14 Research 2.0 15 Paper containers 16 Plastic and aluminum containers 17 Compostable containers 18 The revelation 20 In the news 21 Identifying the gaps 22 Closing the gap 23 Research 3.0 24 Who are the 2020 consumers? 25 Defining my target group 26 Participatory design 28 The recycling stream 29 Industrial cleaning 30 The restaurant 34 Define 36 The brief, the challenge, target audience, intended outcome 37 Research 4.0 Material selection 38 My focus areas in material selection 39 Focus \#1-Environmental impact 40 Focus \#2-Health aspect 41 Focus \#3-Design 45 My final thoughts on materials 48 Research 5.0 Consumer perspectives 49 Research 6.0 Market analysis 57 All glass is not made equal 60 Make- ideate, design, and prototype 62 Product journey mapping 63 Mood board 64 Finding the right shape and curve 65 Design development 66 Final model 79 Final rendering 80 Technical details 81 The circular service design 82 Potential pitfalls 91 Conceptualization 92 Reflections 103 List of reference 104 List o

FAQs

What problem does iTal address in takeaway food packaging?

iTal targets the packaging waste caused by single-use takeaway containers, which consume resources and quickly become trash after a short meal lifespan.

How does the project aim to improve sustainability beyond compostable or bio-based options?

It focuses on a circular economy approach by designing for reuse so materials stay in use longer rather than relying only on end-of-life disposal routes.

What are the two parts of the iTal project?

The first part is a premium reusable takeaway container made from borosilicate glass and stainless steel; the second part is a circular service handling logistics such as collection, cleaning, and delivering clean containers to partner restaurants.

Sep 27, 2026

Upload by aboduw