Food on the Go by Service Design Innovation Mdes at the London College of Communication

Malwina Stepien/ 22 November 2011 Masters of Design Innovation & Creativity in Industry Service Design Report

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Richard Buckminster Fuller

Acknowledgements A big thank you goes out to The People’s Supermarket and Kate Bull who expressed an interest in my project and helped me to organise the testing session in their store. Without this it wouldn’t be possible to say if the service idea is achievable and successful in a real life. Thank you to ‘Happen’ - the London based innovation agency who gave me an opportunity to work on the research project -’food on the go’ and to learn and gain insight into led innovation processes. Thank you to all the TPS customers I have interviewed during the project, your opinion has help during the process. and your insights were very inspiring and gave me direction in my course. I would like to thank my Mdes class mates, for all the help and inspiration. Congratulations on completing very interesting learning process. My greatest gratitude to my course tutors, Alison Prendiville & Cordula Friedlander, for giving me helpful direction and suggestions during the project, and also for helping me to develop independence as a designer. And finally, thank you to my family and friends who supported me during my masters. Malwina Stepien

“But that’s the challenge -- to change the system more than it changes you.” Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals 2 “To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.” Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 3

Contents: Introduction- food on the go Background Research the area: Facts and Numbers Case Studies: The People’s Supermarket Unpackaged Selecting a user

8 12 13 15 15 18 20

Research and Methodology Research Aim: Ethnography approach Observation and understanding the problem Methodology Personas

22 24 25 26 27 50

Concept development Story boards and diagrams The mind maps The project partner- The People’s Supermarket Service design tools Concept development prototyping Branding

54 56 60 61 68 73 74

Testing and feedback Testing session at The People’s Supermarket Feedback from the customers

76 78 82

Conclusion and Evaluation

References and Bibliography

Appendices

Introduction- food on the go

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it. .....it helps you to slow down and savor it.â&#x20AC;?4 Michael Pollan Food Rules

Food on the go The project started as a research internship for Happen, a London based innovation agency, focusing on eating habits during lunchtime in London and comparing it to other countries. Furthermore I was interested in investigating if packaging influenced our choice of food.

During my research I have observed the enormous amount of food packaging waste produced after lunchtime in the central London. After interviewing street sweepers I discovered an important fact that further influenced my research. Packaging food waste, which is discarded after lunch, is not recycled but instead burned for alternative energy fuels. This process will produce lots of Co2 emissions and also it is a waste of material resources.

My final project is targeting office workers and suggesting inspiring changes to their lunchtime eating habits and also designing a solution to reduce waste. Linking up with People’s Supermarket, who expressed an interest in my project, the focus of the service was to help their customers to be even more responsible in their shopping habits. The service concept is to introduce re-usable lunch boxes for ‘The People’s Supermarket’ to encourage customers to bring their packaging back to the store.

As a result I was keen to improve lunchtime habits and reduce food-packaging waste. The investigation started by looking at the situations that encourage people to eat food-on-the-go and the relationship that people have with food in different circumstances e.g. at the office, breakfast, on the way home from school. In addition to this I was looking at whether this food is treated as a meal or snack. What experiences do people look for with food-on-the-go in terms of convenience? Also where is the food eaten, at the desk or park? Is packaging waste a concern when selecting food-onthe-go?

Background Research the area: Facts and Numbers Case Studies: The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supermarket Unpackaged Selecting a user

Cities and peopleurban civilisation “ When you consider that every day for a city the size of London, enough food for thirty million meals must be produced, imported, sold, cooked, eaten and disposed again, and that something similar must happen every day for every city on earth, it is remarkable that those of us living in them get to eat at all.......Both food and cities are so fundamental to our everyday lives that are almost too big to see.”5 Carolyn Steel” Hungry City”

Where our food is coming from?

In our modern consumer lead society we are often blind to the true facts of our daily routine and the high level of consumption that goes with it. This quote by Carolyn Steel puts concisely into perspective the shocking reality of preparation and consumption involved in feeding one city, and then asks us to imagine this on a worldwide scale. Our contemporary lifestyle has created a disconnection between consumer and source of our food and raw materials. The majority of us do not give a second thought to where our food is coming from, the distance it has travelled and effort it has taken to be prepared and packaged. It can be argued that much of the responsibility of our ignorance lies with the mass corporations and supermarkets, who are focused on a high sales turn over, and so have installed in us an idea that convenience is better.

Continuing from the earlier quote from Carolyn Steel, she goes on to explain: “Over 80% of people in Britain now lives in the cities, and the nearest most of us ever get to the “real” countryside. We have never been more cut off from farming, and while most of us probably suspect, deep down, that our eating habits are having nasty consequences somewhere on the planet, those consequences are sufficiently out of sight to be ignored.” 7

Many easily prepared foods are now being excessively packaged such as vegetables and precut fruit to mention a few. This excessive convenience detaches from the skill and appreciation of preparing our own meals, understanding where it comes from, and makes this idea of wasteful convenience and throw away culture a norm. “By the time it’s reached us the food has often travelled thousand of miles through airports and docksides, warehouses and factory kitchens, and been touched by dozens of unseen hands. Yet most of us live in ignorance of that effort it takes to feed us.” 6 Our lives are now very fast and also our food is becoming cheaper and more convenient. It’s not about eating slowly and enjoying our meal it’s more about eating quick and feeling full after the meal. We tend to treat food as a fuel and not an essential and enjoyable part of our everyday live. 13

Research the area: Facts and Numbers

According to C. Steel In Britain there is up to

20 million tonnes of food waste created each year, of this 6,7 million tonnes is household food waste, this is one third of food we buy. 8

In a recent survey by the government- funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) found that half of us are “not concerned’ about food waste, with 40 per cent saying that throwing food away is ‘not a problem’ because food is ‘natural and biodegradable’. This idea can however be viewed as a misconception as Carolyn Steel’s quote goes onto explain that: Unfortunately the content of landfill where most of our food ends up is a highly toxic environmental hazard, poisoning watercourses and contributing to more then a quarter of the UKs emission of methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than Co2. In addition, wasted food generates huge amounts of packaging waste. According to a WRAP report about packaging waste in the Retail sector: grocery and nonfood products covering household and commercial and industrial waste.

Every year 10 million tonnes of packaging is placed on the UK market from this amount 4 million tonnes is household packaging waste. Nearly 60% of all packaging from the UK market is for food and drinks. 9 From Annie Leonard’s book the story of stuff she explains in the diagram the amount of household packaging waste compared to other household waste items. Food packaging waste amounts to 30,9% of total household waste making it the largest percentage. We may feel that in our society, mass packaged convenience food are a cheaper option, but we do not fully realise the underling cost of packaging.10

For example in the article by Ginny Buckley entitled Could you shop for a fortnight without food packaging? she explains that: “every £50 you spend on food, around £8 pays for the packaging it comes in. For a weekly shop of £100, that’s £16, which means that over a year, the average household is probably adding £832 to its annual shopping bill for stuff that goes straight in the bin.” 11 Her article also delivers the alarming fact from the organisation Waste Watch, which estimates that the rate at which we generate rubbish in the UK would fill the Royal Albert Hall in under two hours.....We fill 300 million square metres of land each year and local government leaders are warning that we’ll run out of landfill sites within ten years unless we recycle more and throw away less.

Camden Town Market

In the Guardian article by Michael Pawlyn, he argues that:

It’s hard to visit a landfill site without being struck by the craziness of taking very valuable minerals and resources out of the ground, using a lot of energy, turning them into short life products and then just dumping them back into the ground. It’s an absolutely monumental waste of energy and resources.” - Michael Pawlyn, The Guardian, November 21 2005 12 Another fact that we used to forget is that approximately twenty-three percent of the energy used in our food production system is allocated to processing and packaging food. Why we need the packaging? Of course certain amount of food packaging is essentially needed to protect and preserve the food that comes to us. This is recognised by WRAP in their report which explains that products packaging is needed for transportation and prolong the life of food and helps prevent foodwaste. However, it is important that corporations, industry, and designers take a social responsibility to create packaging that is light weight and recyclable or designed to be reused as well as attracting potential customers which is still a primary goal of packaging designers. It is not generally recognised that businesses have already achieved a great deal and continue to do much to: design more effective packaging minimise environmental impact increase the amount of used packaging that is recovered and recycled. 16

Packaging is often used for marketing and promoting brands alongside all its other functions. In the book by Edward Denison & Guang Yu Ren Packaging prototypes they explain wide range of function of packaging for instance: including safe transportation, preservation and portioning, as well as providing the platform for information about weight, content and nature of the product. However the dilemma humankind presently faces is that our unsustainable lifestyle is threatening the environment that has forever sustained us, that our existence within this environment is far from assured. We do not realise that to produce the packaging takes so much effort, raw materials, energy, water, labour and transportation. Although it maybe the reality that much of this packaging is recyclable, inadequate and poorly run systems mean that a lot of packaging still ends up in landfill or is incinerated as a alternative fuel source. In the article just mentioned, the two writers pose the question: “”Have we always been so unsustainable?”13

One may wonder how we managed our cooking at home? Did we have cooking confidence and skills? What was the balance of our domestic and professional lives, and could these ways of the past be transferred to our modern society? Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and rethink what has changed and if it changed for better, for our sake and that of the planet as a whole? According to the book Bad Food Britain by Joanna Blythman; Since 1998 the UK population and the number of single-person households have grown what increase the packaging and food waste. Customers buying more produts and total amount of packaging has expand, also as a result of companies reducing the amount of material in each pack. Manufacturers also have to design it so that it can be reused, recycled or energy recovered from it after use.

The answer is no. Although many, especially in younger generations may not know any different ways from the current throw away consumerism. The article goes on to explain that: “There were times when we shopped at the markets or small grocery stores, cooking lunch at home or eating at the office canteen. Food wasn’t over packed and there was no ready meals.”

re-use

landfill

recycling energy recovery

Case Studies Supermarkets/ The People’s Supermarket

Going back to a previous point made about being responsible consumers and reducing packaging waste, supermarket have a large responsibility, as they provide us with these products and they advertise them to us. Mostly they do not encourage us to feel responsible as they’re more focused on sales and promoting their brands.

Finchley Road Waitrose - food bins, naked food waste and packaged food waste

According to Carolyn Steel book British supermarkets sent half a million tonnes of edible food to landfill in 2005, and the food sector as a whole sent some 17 millions tonnes. It is not even taking to consideration packaging waste that would have been discarded with the food.14 Some supermarkets have made some effort to reduce either their food or packaging waste. For example by: making changes to ways products are presented and sold, to help customers waste less. As part of its Plan A commitment, Marks and Spencer has developed an online game to help customers explore the environmental and financial impacts of food waste, incorporating tips from the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign. These cover planning, portion control, making use of freezers, understanding date labelling, using leftovers and home composting. However schemes like this are not focused on reducing packaging waste entirely but on a more broader issues regarding individual customers reducing their consumption and waste. Provide us with food so addictive – a quarter of the UK population is now classed as obese and 2.6 million of us suffer from diabetes’s , and the figures are still expanding. 15

Also they are responsible for encourage customers for sending to waste tonnes of edible food. There are only few places that are different and help customers to make responsible shopping decisions, changing their habits for better.

The best example is The Peoples Supermarket as a case study for solving existing problems that other supermarkets are now dealing with for example -over packaged food and food waste. The People’s Supermarket opened its doors to members and the general public on 1st June 2011. It is a “commercially sustainable social enterprise that achieves its growth and profitability targets, whilst operating within values based on community development and cohesion. [It aims] To offer an alternative food buying network.” (The People’s Supermarket Annual Report 2010/2011) The People’s Supermarket as it is an thrust worthy local shop which is far away from the traditional supermarket, its a better place- a supermarket of the future. The principles of The Peoples Supermarket are raising awareness of a ethical buying practices helping people to be a responsible consumer. It’s about people and community. The People’s Supermarket gives training to young people who need work experience. Educate members and customers about environmental issues and healthy eating. Main objective is also locally and seasonably sourced and healthy, good quality food. Becoming a member of TPS entitles a person to certain benefits, rights and responsibilities. Each member pays a £25 annual fee and commits to giving 4 hours of their time a month to running the business. In return they get a 10% discount off all their purchases and an ownership share of the enterprise. From day one the enterprise has gone from strength to strength, and it’s still becoming more popular.

Part of the People’s Supermarket is The People’s Kitchen, which is reducing food waste by cooking leftovers from a shop floor and their main goal is lees food waste and less packaging waste.

They usually save 92 kilos of food every week. They are thinking about the environment and they use what others throw away. The People’s Kitchen use 80% of food waste in the kitchen, with the rest going either to compost or charitable causes. Change broken bag of lentils into Spicy Dal, Bruised Apples into Apple Crumple and damaged oranges into Orange cake. They already started the scheme of re-using the wine bottles and refill it every time the customers is coming back. They want to change peoples behaviour for better not leaving waste and not creating footprint behind them. They want to be responsible supermarket. The Peoples Supermarket and their customers are ready for a change. According to Ginny Buckley in her article about shoping without packaging she found out that almost 80 per cent of London shoppers now believe supermarkets use too much packaging on their food items. Seventy per cent said they tried to buy products with minimal packaging and 80 per cent felt some foods did not need any at all. Luke Vincent of Dragon, a brand agency that advises companies on package design, said: “These findings are no surprise to me. “There has been a shift in people’s values. They are becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues and with that comes guilt.

“Customers expect retailers and manufacturers to make it easier for them to do the right thing when they go shopping. We want to go back to going shopping and not feeling guilty. Packaging is not always the most significant issue when it comes to a product’s green credentials, but it is very visible and tangible, which is why it has become so important to customers and retailers. “For manufacturers, being green is a prerequisite for being accepted in the market. Environmentally friendly packaging shows a company is relevant, modern and of good quality.”

Case Studies Unpackaged

Unpackaged is good example of shop that believe that there is a better way to sell products, so customers can do the right thing – for themselves and for the environment. Unpackaged main rule is that customers refill their groceries using their own containers., which is a big change in the consumer behaviour from what we now consider to be normal. The main idea was to establish an attractive and welcoming shop that makes it really easy for customers to come & refill all their essentials daily goods.

As a part of the research project was important to visit Unpackaged shop to talk to the customers and employers and gain understanding about business principles. What’s more it was very inspiring place and further influenced my research.

According to the Unpacked web site: it is an innovative grocery shop and its mission statement is to encourage customers to stop using nondegradable carry bags and also leaving shoppers to bring their own jars, pots and bags to fill with everything from organic whole foods and dried fruits to eco-friendly laundry liquid and recycled loo paper.

On their web site there is also a quote from the famous American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, who said: “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Buckminster Fuller Unpacked’s main vision is to see a world with less wasteful packaging. This means: Carbon dioxide reduction from less packaging, and the reduction of material waste from landfill & incineration

Places such as these are there to help change consumer behaviour for better and make them more responsible. Positive behaviour change to help customers consume more sustainably.

Selecting a user

As part of my project I looked at the eating habits of People in city during lunch time. This is often a time when convenience outweighs the thought of environmental issues. Lunch time in Britain no longer requires a table, eating has become a portable skill that can be combined with other tasks like business meetings. The main problem is that we are not planning our meals anymore and don’t worry about following any pattern. Busy Britain does not have time to eat breakfast. More people are sacrifice breakfast or substitute it for a morning snack to save time. Snacking produces lots of food packaging waste. A lunchtime, is an occasion when most of the world still sits down to eat such as France, Holland, Italy, our hectic life style in UK however, keeps us more on the move, buying prepackaged fast-food for lunch. Personal assistance describing their lunchtime eating habits to THE TIMES: I spend my lunch hour with my personal trainer at the gym, I tend to eat on my desk, usually a salad or a sandwich. At lunchtime I’ll have a hazelnut cappuccino and a sandwich. Our office does have canteen, but I find that I don’t often have time to spend my lunch there... Lunchtime? What lunchtime? My day is working around my boss’s day so I usually get his lunch between his meetings and grab a sandwich myself at my desk most days when i can...16 Factory packed sandwiches and meal deals are very popular at the lunch time, with a fizzy drink and pack of crisps, they all contain a big amount of packaging.

Our main routine has become that we work form 9 to 5 and have a small snack during the day, which leaves us still hungry and looking forward of having another convenience food for dinner. Consequently some Britons are deprived of the emotional and physical satisfaction that a sit down, home prepared meal. Where once we would have sat down together for a family lunch or evening meal, instead meal times have become more fragmented, as we eat separately around our work and social lives often consuming quick ready meals which are in large amounts of packaging. There has become less pleasure of eating and the social and ceremonial act of sharing food. Main problems identified : Rise of ‘PC dinner’ as Britons eat at their computers Britons are swapping TV dinners for PC dinners, according to a survey showing how many people eat while using the computer. 17 It is not only about lunch time anymore the study found three-fifths of people had settled down to eat their evening meal in front of a laptop or desktop.

St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s area of Londonlunch time 23

Research and Methodology Research Aim: Ethnography approach Observation and understanding the problem Methodology Personas

Research Aim Improve lunch time eating habits and reduce waste

The research stage of the project started with observations to gain understanding of the main issues people have with food on the go. Looking for opportunities to improve lunch eating habits was the main intention.

Ethnography approach

During the observations, interviews were carried out to help answer some key questions: How do we engage with food? What are the situations that encourage people to eat food-on-the-go? What is the relationship that people have with food in different circumstances e.g. at the office, breakfast, on the way home from school. Is this food treated as a meal or snack? What experiences do people look for with Food on the go in terms of convenience (not getting sticky hands etc), ease, habit, health and satisfying hunger etc? Where is the food eaten, at the desk, park, walking around. Are people aware or concerned about how much waste they generate through food on the go? Does packaging influence our choice of food? Having in mind that the main aim of the project is inspire consumers to enjoy their lunch break,help them to be more responsible shoppers and to reduce food and packaging waste. Research strategy was Ethnography, which focuses on the link between human behaviours and culture. According to Dori Tunstall, Associate Professor of Design and Anthropology, “Ethnography is a philosophical approach to human knowledge that says it’s best to understand people based on their own categories of thought, behaviour, and actions. It is often used when intimate knowledge about people is needed to define a new way of thinking about a design problem and it’s potential solutions.” 18

Ethnography is good for answering how things happen and why. The research techniques included observation, field studies, interviews, shadowing and home tours. The approach was to obtain information about people from their own perspective. Conducted field studies included taking to people during the lunch time in the parks, offices, shops and also visiting their houses because those places better reflect people’s own values and objects. It was also easier to talk to people about their values and objects when they are surrounded by them. It helped me to discover new opportunities and better define a potential design for a specific group of people. This ability to understand people from their own perspective is a valuable skill in any work situation as well as in life.19

Observation and understanding the problem

Observation started during week day lunch times in the London based office of ‘Happen’ and also outside the office area in the local green spaces. Weekly observation also focused at the busy St. Paul’s area and Paternoster Square. The weekend observation took place at the London Parks, green open spaces and food festival.

Food preferences, diet? Health conscious? or treating food as a fuel? Cooking skills and food culture?

Lunch budget? meal deals

food and the city

Food choices we make: supermarket, take away? home cook lunch? leftovers from last night dinner?

Part of the interviews was conducted in Brighton during Bank holidays in order to find out why is the picnic, eating outside more relaxing then lunch at the office. The main focus was how people engage with food at lunch time and investigating eating behaviour. Important was to see the difference how our habits change during the week and at the weekends. Can we disconnect from work during the weekends and spend time at the festivals and in the parks. What drives our food choices when we are in at work or during our the days off.

Short lunch breaks less time to eat, PC dinner?

The main point of the research has been investigating what our food preferences are including, diet and food portions. Looking how these main points are influenced by other factors such as, short lunch breaks, eating in the office and in front of computer and having a boring lunch routine.

How we engage with food at the lunch time?

Observations included looking at reducing the lunch budget, is lunch brought from home as an alternative solution. How many of us have time to prepare lunch at home and is it still appetising by the time lunch time has arrived and it’s has been in our lunch box for several hours. Cooking skills and food culture, sharing food in the offices are the points that was covered by the research. Also exploring the interactions office workers have during the lunch time, if they are influencing each others lunch choices. What are the situations that influence our choice of lunch. When we are in rush we tend to go for unhealthy choices or we follow the crowd, especially when surrounded by our peers. It is also very personal thing-food choice, depending on our religious or social traditions.

Mind maps and brain storms What drives your lunch choices?

In parallel to observations mind maps and brainstorms were used to gauge all the issues involved in with the problem. Include all the factors that influence our lunch choice. This include budget, health, social and environmental factors.

buy my lunch outsite, not good in cooking, so that’s the only one possible choice I have... I prepare my lunch at home, love cooking, and it’s cheaper

i am not always at home to cook, I often don’t have time to do it and I can’t be bothered, convenience is important.

Save time! I buy lunch in the nearest supermarket and eat on the way back to the office food and the city

I cook at home because it’s cheaper and I know what goes in the food. I don’t trust take aways I am on the diet and I have to control calories intake.

don’t have time to prepare lunch box in advance... and I will forget it in the morning anyway...

Observation at the ST. Pauls: during the lunch time -12:00 to 15:00 In the observation diary some notes were collected, while observing peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behaviour during their lunch break. The observation found that, most of the people are sitting in groups. People sitting alone are reading books or making phone calls. The lunch choice takes longer when the person is alone, but it is easier when influenced by our friends. As was observed, the groups of people tended to go for the same lunch option. Wasabi and Itsu were the most popular places for lunch during this observations. This is probably due to peoples city life style. Only few people have their own lunch boxes and food cooked at home. The most popular sitting areas were the stairs, on the grass, and on benches. Most people were eating with their hands or used plastic cutlery straight from the box. Many were snaking after lunch on crisps, carrots, or nuts. Some were having people little naps too. Some were using their lunch time to talk on phone, read books, or have informal outdoors business meeting with colleagues.

Observation and interview Interviews- Relationship with food? Clues from the interviews

The relationship with the food I eat is a disaster! I can’t cook!

I appreciate good, fresh food, but I don’t know much about cooking, that’s for sure. So I prefer take away lunch, or supermarket.

I’m not very good at cooking, so there’s just one possible choice, take away lunch.

I cook lunch at home because it is cheaper and I know what goes in the food.

I don’t think about it as a fun part of my day. It is something I have to find time for. During my lunch I have business meetings or I stay in the office in front of my desk.

Observation at the 15:00 St. Paul almost empty.

Talking to an expert: As a part of the research, a street cleaner was interviewed. The interview took place at the St. Pauls area of London, during his working hours for SELTHP - a long term sustainable solution for waste disposal. He mention about the difficulties he has as a part of his job. The first point he made was that there is not enough sweepers to help keep the city clean. Secondly, ha said that there is no time to sort packaging for recycling. The local authority will allow bins to be placed outside the M&S store, due to safety and security. There is also no recycling bins, due to this issue. The amount of rubbish he collects is 20 full bags for one day. The interview with the street cleaner was very enlightening and has given a new perspective to the recycling problem.

Most rubbish is incinerated as an alternative source of energy or it goes to landfill. Both options will produce increased Co2 emissions and waste of recourses. Most of the lunchtime food packaging from M&S is not worth recycling, because it will come out very small size and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only 50% off the plastic is recyclable. If we recycle the plastic, it comes thinner and thinner. Not very good quality eventually starts to split. 34

Post lunch time rubbish in London.

Recycling logos During the research phase lots of interview about recycling logos were conducted. This was to assess whether the current logo system is clear and understandable to consumers. The main points people were making was that after using the packaging, we don’t feel responsible for it. and due to the lack of recycling bins in public area, people are not encouraged to do it. Also the recycling logos are often confusing and not clear for consumers. Some people felt that if there was something which could encourage them to make responsible decision in term of recycling and reusing, they would definitely do it.

I ‘m not paranoid about it but yes, I don’t like it when there is so much plastic involved. I think I understand the signs but I’m not checking it in detail.

They are usually too small to be noticed. However, I try not to buy much stuff wrapped in useless plastic packaging.

I don’t really pay attention and we have no recycling option at work.

No, hardly ever look at recycling and in Lisbon there are hardly any recyling places, people just don’t do it here really.

Yes, we recycle so I put any cardboard or packaging in the recycling bins. Otherwise I use reusable plastic containers to bring my lunch in and then wash it out/re use it.. We are quite good with recycling at work so there are recycling bins in the cafe downstairs and in a small kitchen upstairs + all our individual bins under our desks are divided so that one part is for Recyclable materials and the other for the rest.

People were also asked to give short reasons why they do or they do not recycled. Here are some of the feedbacks which influenced the final research stage.

Why do you recycle? Environmental awareness concern It’s convenient Enforced Social responsibility Saves money

Why don’t you recycle? Inconvenient Laziness Not enforced Hopeless

Clues from interviews- What makes a perfect lunch? What doesn’t? food/weather/atmosphere/people

A light, nourishing and tasty meal, And enough time to enjoy it. What doesn’t make a perfect lunch: having just the time to swallow it, eating it cold when it should be hot.

Being able to check my emails and facebook in the time that I have or calling my boyfriend

It is more about food, so It will be good healthy food that can fill me up- not heavy and tasty. Fresh herbs and original taste. Something I can’t cook myself.

I Good break: Good and reasonably priced -nice company - nice weather so I can go out Bad break: - eating in a rush eating at my desk -not having time to go out.

Observation at White Cross Market on Friday open all week from 11am to 3pm, very busy day Friday Treat

Interviews were also carried out at The White Cross Market, a street food market in the Clerkenwell area of London. This is also a popular area for the local city workers to grab their lunch. The main objective of this observation was to compare how food was presented and served compared to the supermarkets or take aways. Customers as well as store holders were interviewed to gain insight. Here are some of the comments recorded during the interviews. ‘Summer time is the best season..... Winter is slower but at lunch time are busy all year round even if it’s cold.” “People are coming to White Cross market because we want to try variety of food from all over the world... everything is in the same place and much fresher than from a supermarket.” “People prefer to come to because the food is authentic.” “The same customers coming every week, we also have lots of new customers. We trying to find some time to have a chat with them so our relations are really good.” “Our customers are: Office workers and students coming here the most, less families.”

Packaging at the market At the market the types of food packaging was also observed and it was interesting to which food sellers were providing sustainable packaging, if any of them, and were the customers concerned about the packaging they were provided with. From this investigation the main questions asked was: Does food packaging influence people choice of food? The main findings were : “People don’t say much about packaging, but they say the food is lovely and amazing.” “Customers use to say: maybe you should use box but if they really like our cake they will come back! We are using recycle paper bags only.” “Wrap sandwiches not the best way for environment - foil but its the easiest thing to do for us.” “White Cross Market food packaging cost only 5p per item it would be great if people bring it back to our stall to refill it but it’s not happing very often and she I can’t give them food discount.”

Observation during the weekend People were also asked about their eating habits during the weekend and more sociable times like during the summer months. These periods are generally when people are more relaxed and enjoying their meals more as social outdoors events with friends or family, such as a picnic or festivals.

During summer we eat lots of proteins and BBQ and also seasonal fruits like raspberries and strawberries.

Summer eating means fun, BBQ and enjoying yourself, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really amazing!

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much better to eat lunch during the weekend! you can relax and take your time.

Summer eating is about staying outside and having lighter food. Sharing food with friends.

Primrose Hill Park London Weekend observations

Lunch time in different countries Interviews about lunchtimes from an international perspective

Female, 30-40, designer, Eindhoven , Lunch break time:0.30-1h We do our grocery in the local supermarket. Everybody does their own shopping. After shopping we eat our lunch at the social big table, mostly with a group of 25 people.

25, Male, Reims, banker Lunch break time: 1,5 hour Lunch outside in the restaurants, quite long and relaxing. Homemade take away ham & bacon wrapped in aluminum foil. Perfect meal is a light but filling meal, a bottle of rosé.

30, Female, London, project manager. lunch break time: 30 min We have a subsidised cafe so I tend to stay at the office and either eat in the cafe or take the food to my desk. I would then try to get out of the building for at least 15 min if the weather is nice. If there is no lunch in the cafe I would either bring my own food or go somewhere like, e.g. Itsu or grab something hot if the weather is cold.

24, Female, Venice (Italy)/London (UK), student. Lunch break time:1 hour. In Italy we tend not to have any chain of food retailers. Even when having lunch outside, all the meals (sandwiches, tramezzini, kebabs and falafels, salads, pastas,...) are handmade. In London my favourite is Pret-à-manger The choice is wide and ingredients are always fresh.

Interesting insights were also collected form a group of international office workers. This was useful to compare with lunchtimes in other countries and to understand the lunch break behaviours of people living in London. We might learn something from them to make our lunch more exciting or relaxing time of the day. Working hours in France are longer from 8am. to 8pm with a long lunch break. Lunch in France is much longer then in UK and it’s about social experience, having a relaxing break and not thinking about work even totally disconnect from work. It is often in the restaurant and with a glass of wine. Lunch time in Holland is different as well it is about socialising with work mates and eating together at the big social table, sharing food. Finally Lunch time in UK London starts about 12:00 and it’s about 30 min to 1h. We go to the local shops, supermarkets or take aways to buy our daily lunch. Every day there is a long queue in front of take aways, especially on Fridays more of us go out for lunch. If the weather is nice we might stay outside usually but not for long because we are in rush to work. The most popular option is to stay and eat at the desk or have a business meeting. It is worthwhile to understand the lunchtime patterns of other nations as it could teach us how to improve our own lunchtime habits, which in turn would improve our experience and make lunchtime more enjoyable and important part of the day, and to help us to be more productive for the rest of the day.

Lunch time interviews It was also important to gain insights into the general public’s own personal lunchtime habits. This was conducted on the street in the Clerkenwell area of London, and in parks and greens in the area.

Working at Farringdon Road Age: 46 Occupation: deputy manager/ housing associates Life style: busy at work and home with 2 kids weekly lunch budget: £20 a week

His working hours are from 8 am till 6:30 pm, he spends 8 hours in front of his computer. The weather plays important role in his lunch time routine. If the weather is nice he goes to Tesco on his scooter to buy lunch for more people to bring back to the work place, as they all tend to stay in the office to eat. When he eats salads he doesn’t need any extra container, any plate, just eat straight from a box. He tend to buy panini in his favourite place at least 2 days a week, it’s a habit.

Lunch time in the office As part of a my own personal work placement with Happen innovation agency, I was able to observe the lunch time eating habits of my work mates as part of the research for this project. As I was new to this working environment I could gain a fair insight into each of their lunch time habits. Some had the same routine and used to same for the same lunch time choices, the others were more varied with their food habits choosing to eat in different places and try different food or following what their workmates did.

For example one person I observed ate at the same place most days and each time was provided with food packaging which she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessary recycle, as there she was unclear if it can be recycled from itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo. At this point of the research I thought about providing consumers with a re-usable food packaging to eliminate this unnecessary waste. One good example was the person who brought his own lunch box from home with a delicious home cooked meal. Others were impressed but thought it was too much effort to do this for them. Another observation was that many left lunch to attend business meetings. The rest of the workers tend to eat in front laptop.

Office observations Emma PC DINNER- 30 min Always goes out to buy lunch to bring back to the office. Using office plates, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to eat straight form the box.

Thomas PC DINNER- 20 min- strict diet He bought 2 different components: Cooked chicken breast and mixed vegetables. He used the microwave to heat it up.

Emma combines her left overs from dinner the night before into her lunch for the next day.

Office observations

Chris PC DINNER- 40 min He bought 4 different ready made salads And combined them in one- Chris salad. A very big portion, he spent about ÂŁ12 at M&S

Other habits in the office was bringing in homemade cakes and buying biscuits to share with work colleagues. Drinking fizzy and energy drinks was also very popular with one person starting to drink one and others soon following suit.

These two men both decided to choose the same option for lunch in the local chinesse, this is a good example of workmates choosing the same dish as their friend. Whether it is healthy or not. They regretted the discission as they both felt ill for the rest of the day. Whereas the ladies chose the healthier option together, and was a lighter option, and shows how again they both influenced each other to chose a healthy and also trendy option for lunch.

For the food diary see Appendix A

Methodology Food Diary How much I have consumed today Another technique used to collect research was the distribution of a food diary to work colleagues and friends, which asked them to record their eating habits for three days, during the week and weekends. The main objective was to make the diarist think twice about the amount of food and drink they consumed, and the packaging waste that accompanied it. The main questions asked: Do you tent to eat all you lunch ? Do you look at recycling logos at your lunch packaging? It is clear enough for you? What did you learn about your eating habits? Is there anything you would like to change or improve? They were asked if they thought they needed to change any aspects of their eating habits and to share their findings.

What did you learn about your eating habits? What did you realise? I would like to cut down on snacks as a crisps which will help him to reduce lunch budget and packaging waste. However, I think I eat quite late into the night and I need to drink more water. I learnt that I want more regular meals and very often I am influenced by others to snack. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t drink enough water.

An example of the food diary from Michael

Diet based on sandwiches and bacon After the experiment he realised that he is addicted to bacon sandwiches before the lunch time. He would like to change this habit and improve his diet. Stop to eat quite late into the night also to drink more water. This experiment was very helpful for him to realise and to improve his own diet.

Persona 1

The personas have been created after in depth observations, interview and feedback from all the people that have been interviewed. This personas are based on a fictional character compiled from all the information gathered up from the research group. So the personas becomes the representative of the groups interviewed, and they represent their social and demographic characteristics, as well as their own needs, desires, habits and cultural backgrounds. The customer journey map was created to imagine the journey of the persona through the service. It provides an oriented graph that describes the different touch points that characterize the persona’s interaction with the service.

favourite retailers

Perfect lunch is a calm break outside with a filling, healthy and energetic meal No heavy dressing

Name: Adrian Age: 30 Life style: diet and gym every Day after work Occupation: Office manager Lunch budget: £5-£7

Lunch routine: Short lunch break (30min). During his lunch he usually has business meeting, or sits in the office in front of his desk. He tries to control calories, protein intake. Sometimes brings lunch from home Lunch prepared at the office. 3 different Ingredients, all mixed together. -Cost effective and fresh! -Salad portions too small -Snacking -nuts, fruits or cold meat -Fresh herbs instead of dressing. I like to cook, it is so much fun! I want to prepare my lunch box but often I don’t have time for it Perfect lunch is a calm break outside with a filling, healthy and energetic meal No heavy dressing

New customer Adrian- week day

daily routine

11 journey to work

goes out to the local take away to buy sandwich

£3

wakes up drink water

want to improve cooking skills

sandwich wrap £2 check menu

£3,80

Adrian

gym

fruit extra

want to spend less for healthy food

single

sometimes brings his home made lunch box to work

snack time

time

diet

drink £2 bottle

goes out to waitrose with workmate nuts £1 packaging

owns few loyalty cards

goes to TPS and re-use box

lunch time 3 salads £7 from waitrose

leaves the house

using re-use box service

household

likes gadgets

socialising

callories wants to be more eco friendly

18 water £1 bottle

goes to the gym

cooking dinner with girlfriend

Adrian works 5 min walk from TPS 53

Persona 2

favourite retailers

maybe lunch outside, get some fresh air and be a bit active, as normally you are sitting most of the day and night.

Name: Clare Age: 36 Life style: long working hours, wants to Improve her diet Occupation: Accountant, Lunch budget: £6-£8

Lunch routine: 25 min lunch break, when she has lunch with a friend they tend to buy the same food. she eats lunch on the go, stands in front of the office or she eats in front of her desk. I like meal deal offers because I need an extra snack to eat on my way home. No heavy dressing Lunch time choices are mostly sandwiches and pack of crisps. I appreciate good, fresh food but I don’t know much about cooking- I prefer take away lunch. My lunch routine is very boring, I would like to change it. 54

TPS customer Clare- week day daily routine

10 11 journey to work

leaves the house

goes out to TPS to buy lunch with her workmates lunch time check menu

TPS lunch packaging £4

using re-use box service

likes to collect things

go to TPS and re-use box

drink bottle £2

likes TPS lunch choice

£3,80

crisps from TPS

£2

wants to improve her diet

Clare married

callories

bored with her diet

snack time eats crisps from TPS

never bring lunch box from home

fruit extra

she is TPS fan

17 water bottle

£1

husband cooks dinner for her

sleep time

Clare works 2 min walk from TPS 55

Concept development Story boards and diagrams The mind maps The project partner- The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supermarket Service design tools Concept development prototyping Branding

Concept development started with a story board to help construct the scenario in which the design would be places. How the user will interact with the service and what the service will offer. The main goal through this project was too improve the eating habits for the user and help to reduce waste for both the user and place where the service will be provided. Become more environmentally aware and responsible. The idea was to linked local offices with sustainable supermarket. The benefits will be on both sides as the user will enjoy healthy lunch break and will be helped to change shopping habits for more responsible. The supermarket will have more customers and less footprint will be produce.

Story boards and diagrams Who are you? I am Lunch box servicefor the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supermarket What do you do? change the lunch time habits for better! help customers to be more responsible shoppers and reduce waste.

Why does it matter? Because we are ready for change and if a few people will make a positive change the others might get influence by them.

Concept development started with a story board to help construct the scenario in which the design would be places. How the user will interact with the service and what the service will offer. The service storyboard shows the manifestation of every touchpoints in the lunch box service and the relationships between them and the user in the creation of the experience.

Cause diagram Part of the problem solving was to create Cause diagram to understand bigger picture and try to unswer the question how to improve eating habits. How to encourage customers to be responsible shoppers. 4 main causes were : money issue, short lunch break, no time to prepare lunch at home and the fact that we don’t feel resposible for packaging waste. Looking what the contributing factor in this case to understand where to tackle the problem.

Contributing factors

lunch box from home is not very presentable

food has less value cut away from farming

direct causes

not preparing lunch at home one option for lunch ready meal or take away

how to plan the lunch budget?

meal deals? unhealthy snacks

convenience or no time to cook at home don’t know what to do with leftovers

core problem

money issue lunch time budget

How to improve lunch time eating habits? responsible shoppers= less waste.

how to eat healthy and cheap?

We don’t feel resposible for waste

supermarkets or take away stores are not helping us to be more responsible shoppers recycling logos are confusing less recycling bins

boring not inspiring lunch inside long working hours no time for break

short lunch break PC lunch don’t go out for a break

food on the gopackaging waste

less socialising during lunch time

Story board

Story board explains how the TPS customers will use the service and re-use the lunchbox.

The mind map

The mind map shows how the service will work and how it will be linked to local businesses. There could be an opportunity to work with WRAP and Love. Food. Hate. Waste organisation.

LOCAL OFFICE WORKERS S

inspire, raising awareness he di alth -i he et m res lp c pr u ov po st in ns om g ibl e r es st ho o b ey pp e on m er s ing v sa

br ne and w lo cu ya sto lty m , er s

RE-USE LUNCH BOX

te as w e

u red

+ rt

o pp

su working together for a world without waste

RE-USE LUNCH BOX LOYALTY CARD LUNCH X 9= 1/2 price

The project partner

Part of the research process was to find an ideal partner who will be willing to work with the project. This would have to be a lunch time venue where people go for their food. I was able to buit up a relationship with TPS which is a responsible social enterprise providing a sustainable alternative to other supermarkets. My personal wish in working on this project with TPS, is that is will inspire other food retailers to a positive change, and help customers to be more responsible. The People’s Kitchen sell 500 lunch boxes a week in the plastic packaging Main issues discussed at the members meeting: -How to engage more local people -Recycling issue -Food waste- producing more then they can sell - Composting - expensive plastic packaging - re use wine bottle -new service available at TPS Fill your own wine grab a re-usable bottle £1,75 fill your bottle with wine buy for £6 per bottle

How to prevent delays in the kitchen system?

The People’s Supermarketobjectives education trainning co-operation membership discount

locally sourced healthy good quality Aims

customers

employees

it’s all about food

owned by members

sustainably sourced

volunteers it’s about people and community

raisisng awareness of ethical buying practices

People are ready to change!!!

being a responsible customer

people’s kitchen

reduce food waste

less packaging waste

It was important to map local businesses that were near TPS because it an opportunity to bring more customers.

in 2m

orn tre Holb Cen ical d e M

s itect Arch e offic

Financial benefits

This shows the benefits of using reusable lunch box as opposed to throw away packaging

100 customers a day lunch box

using plastic packaging- waste issue traditional plastic throw away box

week

100 customers

500 x

reusable lunch box service

100 customers

plastic box

week

100 x

year

month

2000 x

plastic box

24000 x

month

RE-USE BOX= NO WASTE

plastic box

year

How much TPS spend on packaging? How much TPS can save?

For customers:

This shows the financial benefit of using reusable lunch box as TPS will save 4,100 per year, which was normally spend on packaging that was thrown away. they only paying 700 as the box will be reused by the customer.

lunch box service-saving money benefits for customers

plastic box

£7 once

How many weeks until the lunxh box has paid for itself?

20p every day

£7 FOR LUNCH BOX PAYBACK -1,5 month 6 WEEKS

10,5 month- 42 weeks savivngs= £42 a year £84 for 2 years

For TPS: Savings:

£4,100 per year plastic box

Spendings:

£ 4,800 per year

RE-USE BOX Spendings:

£ 700 per year

£400 per month £20 per day

Service design tools- Touchpoint diagram

Attract

Inform

Use

Support

Maintain

attention

How do you

How to respond

How do you

stimulate the

to customers

handle problems

enter into

needs with

or questions

how do you create awareness and attract attention for your service?

customer to take action?

regard to service provision?

during service

adverts

newsletter

event to

help customers

promote the idea

to locate the

TPS shop

washing up

ask the lunch box

service

expert on the website

lunch box workshop

lunch box

loyalty card

DIY event

-discount

display outside

sharing recipes

customise your lunch box

customers

service

leave their feedback

lunch recipes

on the website information

lunch box

what is on the menu

making tool kit

each day

message info

information on

information

just before lunch

the website-

about callories

on the website

menu, order lunch box how to combine food? interesting combinations

discount card

loyalty card

adverts in the

cooking

TPS lunch boxes

with the customer?

provision?

Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen TPS website

a relationship

information why TPS is very specialeveryone is wellcome

message to remind about lunch menu at TPS

The Business Model Canvas

Service design tools- blueprint

The blueprint was used to describes the nature and the characteristics of the service interaction in enough detail to verify, implement and maintain it.

Pre service, service, post service

Concept development prototyping

Branding The logo for lunch box service has been designed and the brand name chosen: ENJOY -break. lunch. less waste. These are the main principles of the service, the main goal was to encourage customers to take part in the reusable lunch box scheme. The logo should looks good next the TPS logo so it was designed this way. It reminds us of the tea towel- lunch box that was used to wrap the lunch box and inspire by Japanese Furoshiki gift wrapping style. The tea towels were created to communicate the main principles of the concept. Two designs of the tea towel have different message to tell: one is encouraging office workers to eat outside, not in front of their laptop, and the other one shows all the seasonal fruits and vegetables as TPS is focused on raising awareness about importance of eating seasonal. The tea towels were printed in the screen printing studio at London College of Communication. They suppose to be reused by the users as a napkin and help them to enjoy their lunch and also bringing more eating rituals.

The brand is all about enjoying the lunch break, having healthy lunch and at the same time doing something good for the environmentdonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t waste food and packaging.

enjoy break. lu nch. le ss waste.

Testing and feedback Testing session at The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supermarket Feedback from customers

For the testing session leaflet see Appendix B

Testing leaflet- story board

Testing session at The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supermarket In order to prototype a re-usable lunch box service a 3 day testing session was organised at The Peoples Supermarket. TPS gladly allowed the experiment to take place in their shop. They wanted to test the idea because they are interested to see if it could be a success for them, and if it will bring more customers and spread awareness of their organisation. The Peoples Supermarket was chosen because of their aspirations to help their customers to be more responsible shoppers. TPS wants to change consumers behaviour towards packaging waste and also reduce their carbon footprint. This was exactly the direction which was appropriate for this project.

The plan of action was:

At the same time different designs and materials were being researched for the lunch boxes that the project was going to use at the testing day. 12 different designs of lunch boxes was ordered and was very enthusiastic about testing it with customers. The main aspect was to hear their opinion about the lunch box service as well as the design of the lunch box. Another aspect of the lunch box design was the tea towels with graphic design especially for TPS. The first design was to encourage customers to eat seasonal vegetables and the other design one was a map of the local area and green spaces which people could use to eat their lunch. It was decided to print both designs on the pre-ordered tea towels made relatives. It was handmade screen printing which took up to three days to complete.

Starting by building a relationship with The Peoples Supermarket, by becoming a member and attending meetings which addressed problems and issues they were having. In relation to the project the first step was to find out if the customers would be interested in the concept, by asking them what they think about it. The next step was to prove to TPS the fact that they could save money for plastic packaging and also reduce packaging waste.

When the finished products were ready for the testing session the project was ready to promote the idea to TPS customers and also to all the surrounding hospitals and the local shops. The leaflets were designed and distributed to customers and local shops. Customers were spoken to on their lunch break and testing session principles were explained to them, when there was enough people to take part in the session the test started become organised.

It was allowed by TPS to carry out the experiment and they were very keen to see how the testing session would go. The facilities they allowed the experiment to use were the table area next to The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen (TPK), and also it was encouraged to help to prepare the food at TPK.

Next step was to print the posters to advertise the event, 3 days before the testing session the posters were put up outside the supermarket and also inside next to The Peoples Kitchen area. It was hoped that more customers will see the poster. Afterwards emails were sent and explained all the testing details to customers interested in taking part in the lunch box experiment.

DAY 1 12 customers took part in the testing session. Day one started at 9am, The special dish was prepared and served on the tray. During the experiment the TPK's serving system was changed, from the pre-packed food from the plastic packaging to the food served on the tray. In previous system customers has only one type of food in each plastic box, which was labelled by TPK. Packing food into the disposable box took lots of time and also labelling and writing all the names on the packaging. In the old system there was no time to interact with the customer and explain them which meals are available on certain day. New system gave them a chance to have variety of 3 meals packed into their re-use lunch box. In the new system the menu was display on the small poster next to the kitchen area and also there was more time to talk to the customers and asked them about their food preferences. The decision making part about food that takes lots of time for customers was solved in one minute. There was also fruit available with every lunch served, customers were very happy about it. The lunch boxes design has some compartments and it gives people chance to separate food from salad or cake. Customers were very happy about it. Also there were special lunch box wrappers (and it could be also tea towel) what allow the lunch box to be more personalised. After preparing the lunch time meal for re-use lunch box customer, he table was set up with 12 different lunch boxes to choose from and also available lunch box wrappers. At about 12:30pm the experiment was ready for the experiment and waiting for customers to come to TPS and sign up for the testing. What was observed on these days was the fact that customers came quite early, and they all wanted to take part in the lunch box experiment. They were very excited about it. 82

The first step was to choose a lunch box and go to the till to prepay for their lunches. Then they came with the receipt for 3 days and they put their name and email on the leaflet. The receipt was attached on the leaflet so that every customer have their own separate leaflet with instructions for them containing a story board and some basic information for me including my: name, email, and information for them if they can take part all 3 days. One part of the leaflet was kept by the TPS and they had filled in once they had agreed to take part, to have their name and email address. Some questions were emailed to them some questions to have their feedback in the end of the process. The customers response were very positive and also It was hoped they would come back the next day. It was also very important to talked to the customers and explain the details. Setting up a table In the middle of the process, The set up had to change set up for a bigger table because The Peoples Kitchen need some space for prepared food! Also the previous space was too small, It was hard how to set up a table for space to be given to TPK pre-packed food.

DAY 2: 11 customers came back to test the lunch boxes. The table was set up like the day before, but this time TPK chef suggested to use a smaller table. I was waiting for customers to come and it was a quite busy day. Some more people were interested to take part in the experiment, but the experiment was completed. 11 out of 12 customers came back and they were pleased they liked the idea and brought their tea towels with them. This time they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to pay for lunch, (as it was prepaid the day before for three days lunches) They were email by TPS to ask for their feedback about the lunch boxes. TPS had constant contact with them to keep the good customers relationship. DAY 3: 11 customers came back for the testing session. They wanted to continue the experiment and they were advised, to continue bringing their lunch boxes to TPS in the future. Customer feedback was received about the re-use lunch box service and lunch box design.

Feedback from the customers and TPS

Here are some of the responses I received from the customers who took part.

These were the questions asked during the experiment:

Jennifer - working at the Great Ormand Street Hospital

I would like to hear your feedback about the re-use lunch box service: Did you manage to use the lunch box for 3 days?

Did you eat directly from your lunch box? or did you use a plate in your workplace?

Did you find this experiment convenient? Yes, it was no problem at all. I enjoyed having a little walk at lunchtime, and I also enjoyed not having to worry about what I was going to eat for lunch. What was the best and the worst aspect about using the lunch box? There was no worst aspect. The best aspect, perhaps, was the pleasant surprise of the excellent quality of the food. How did you workmates react for the experiment? They thought it was a lovely idea.

How did you feel eating from your lunch box?

Sharon - working at the court.

Where did you keep your lunch box? In the office or at home?

What was the best and the worst aspect about using the lunch box? I really like reusing and being environmentally friendly! Where will you keep the lunch box at the weekend? if I continued to use the lunchbox at the peoples supermarket I would keep it in my office. Helen, student

Did you find this experiment convenient? What was the best and the worst aspect about using the lunch box?

Where will you keep the lunch box at the weekend How did you workmates react for the experiment? Do you like the design of your lunch box? Is it easy to clean?

What was the best and the worst aspect about using the lunch box? The best aspects were: the idea of re-using a lunchbox rather than having packaging that you throw away; the food itself was delicious and there was enough of it to be filling - the lunchbox was of a good size-; the fact that it was warm makes it very nice compared to the average sandwich you would find in a supermarket, especially in the winter. Did you eat directly from your lunch box? or did you use a plate in your workplace? I ate directly from it, outdoors (on benches mapped out on the tea towels) 84

Heidi, TPS volunteer Where did you keep your lunch box? In the office or at home? In the office - I put it in the dishwasher What will be the perfect lunch box for you? Slightly larger, with at least 2 compartments. dishwasher-friendly. William: Did you find this experiment convenient? Yes, because I am at university close to the People's Supermarket, making it only a 5 minutes journey. What was the best and the worst aspect about using the lunch box? The best aspect is ability to have warm food to take away that is not in disposable containers. The worst is walking around with an empty lunch box for most of the day, taking up space in my bag. How did you feel eating from your lunch box? I felt fine, although I would have like an in-disposable fork I can clean when I've finished. I don't like the idea of throwing away disposable cutlery. Do you like the design of your lunch box? Not particularly. I would have like something more attractive. Something I can be proud of and that expresses my individuality. What will be the perfect lunch box for you? Something that is BPA free and wider than it is deeper. It must have a tight lid and not smell despite cleaning it thoroughly. I’d like something colourful or at least with some colour. I’d like the choice of lunchbox to fit my bag I carry to college.

Jessica - event organiser at TPS Yes, I really like having the napkin, it was more of a ritual of having a lunch. If your stomach is prepared to have food and you give yourself a minute to digest that information literally your stomach is more prepared for digestion. Also using a napkin is good to cover your clothes or wiping your mouth or your hands. People don’t use napkins like they used to.

Kate Bull CEO of TPS I am really pleased and amazed by the response that we have received from the project on re-usable lunch boxes. I think it’s a great step forward for us because it will reduce waste going to landfill and it will also reduce packaging cost. We had a great deal of interaction with customers and I gave us another point of difference that moves us away from the traditional supermarket into a better place- a supermarket of the future and that's where we want to be.

Bringing back the re-use napkin tradition to the lunch time like it was before. I quite like it that is sort of traditional. Where will you keep your lunchbox during the weekend? I will consider taking it home and then bring some leftovers from Sunday for my Monday lunch. How did your workmates react for the lunch box? I think my workmates were jealous that I was part of the experiment. Perfect lunch box : the one that washed itself. PBA free it does not release any chemicals. I also observed that the TPS customers were talking about the lunch box experiment: I was in the queue and I was explaining the idea to my friend and one customer said it was a great idea. I explained that it reduced packaging waste and it saves money. This is a very simple concept to solve the most important problems and customers loved it. From the perspective of a supermarket this is another reason why we are being different and we do something that changed our behaviour for the better. In terms of the bigger picture of the supermarket it’s not leaving waste and not creating a footprint behind us and that's why I work here personally and also it’s a next step in innovation.

Osmond: one of the duty managers at the People’s Supermarkets gave me a feedback on the lunch box project. In the beginning when the concept was brought to me I don’t think it was a viable and I didn’t think it would work at the Peoples Supermarket but when it’s started there were quite a lot of customers who liked the project the principle is very basic and simple and people were coming back to refill the lunch boxes. Steven : intern student from TPS- environmental committee

TPS employees opinion: Craig cashier: I quite like the lunch box service, I think it was very successful in the fact that it reduces the food packaging waste that we are creating and from being here during the experiment it has been particularly successful and the fact that we run out of the lunch boxes was just great. Jacky, volunteer member at TPK working in admin and at the counter selling. Lunch boxes it’s a great idea because for me and my friends here, what could have happen is a salad bar or a food bar, where customers come and pick their own food and It would be most wonderful if it can go in their lunch boxes and that is what we are thinking about.

From the environmental point of view it’s really good for supermarkets been meeting half way with the customers helping them to make more responsible decisions. With the lunch box that we buy and we keep it, so we don’t have to use more unnecessary amount of packaging. Nelson: one of the duty managers at the People’s Supermarkets The lunch box service testing session is very good for the supermarket, when it’s started we could see that during the lunch time sales increased by buying lunch boxes and customers like it as well because if they get 3 meals and they paying for 3 meals in advanced, why not pay the same price and get the lunch box extra, they also wanted to come back and refill their lunch box.

Conclusion and Evaluation

This project has been successful in many ways. It has undergone testing which gained valuable feedback. The general tone of the feedback received is that the service has a lot of potential and the goal of changing consumer behaviour could be accomplished. The large part of the success of the project so far has been the encouragement for the service to continue for the customers of The People Supermarket and The Peoples Kitchen, who would like the project to continue and for them to continue to bring their reusable lunch boxes back to refill it with lunch. This is an ongoing project and The Peoples Supermarket are looking for the opportunity to find a lunch box manufacturer to further develop the concept. With all the feedback that was received when testing different designs of lunch boxes, it will be more apparent to design perfect lunch boxes for The Peoples Supermarket customers. There were mixed opinions about the lunch boxes, some people found the lunch boxes leaked or the size was wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appropriate for them. With further testing it should be possible to improve design of the lunch box and further develop the service to be more customers friendly and more sustainable. For the future, the service requires further development to suit it better to the busy and varied lifestyles of the customers who may use the service. Some customers could not take part because they said they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to plan their lunch time. The service would have to appeal to this type of indecisive and spontaneous consumer, as well as the regular planned user for it to be an overall success. After the testing session one problem was realised, is that the service would have to be very clear and easily explained to encourage more people to use it.

In addition to providing more messages to the customer with the benefits of the service, for example how much energy for packaging production and transportation they would save by using the re-usable lunch box service, It could also help to encourage them to take part and also make them think about their behaviours and environmental consciousness. In summary, from the research gathered during initial stages of this project, it can be said that an element of self realisation must be achieved from each of us if we want to improve our habits and become responsible consumers. In our daily routine we are often too busy to consider the waste we are producing. This project fulfils the goal of helping consumers become self aware and responsible by giving several benefits to both the consumer and The Peoples Supermarket.

There has been a lot of positive feedback by those who have tested it and they would like to carry on bringing their lunch boxes to The Peoples Supermarket. It is hoped that the manufacturer of the lunch box can be found and the service develops to a wider area and not just The Peoples Supermarket. I hope that more customers can join the existing testing group and so are willing to change their behaviour and to contribute to the further testing of the service which will help to prove its viability. The eventual aim for the future of this project is that other organisations could be inspired by the success of this collaboration with The Peoples Supermarket and the benefits it brings to both consumer and organisation and how it can help make both change for the better.

The first is financial benefit to both The Peoples Supermarket and the customer, as there would be less need for The Peoples Supermarket to purchase large amounts of their current disposable food packaging. This in turn would reduce the price for the customer. The second and most important factor, in terms of the goals of this project is the reduction of waste for The Peoples Supermarket and consumers, and in turn making the user realise that by using this lunch box, they are helping the environment by reducing their personal food packaging waste footprint.

References and bibliography 1 http://beunpackaged.com/our-philosoph/ 2 http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2121.Michael_Pollan 3 http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/295709 4 http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2121.Michael_Pollan 5 Steel, C (2008). Hungry city. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus. 6 Steel, C (2008). Hungry city. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus. 7 Steel, C (2008). Hungry city. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus,10 8 Steel, C (2008). Hungry city. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus,10 9 http://www.wrap.org.uk/ 10 Leonard, A (2010). The story of stuff. Great Britain: The Bobbie and Dewi. 245. 11 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-489364/Could-shop-fortnight-food-packaging.html 12 http://beunpackaged.com/why-packaging/ 13 Edward Denison & Guang Yu Ren (2001). Packaging prototypes 3. London: rotovision. 24 14 Steel, C (2008). Hungry city. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus 15 Bull,2012, Transcript of Speech made at The Battle of the Ideas – http://www.thepeoplessupermarket.org/home/?p=94#comments 16 http://www.catherinequinn.com/clips/clip29_TNworkinglunch.html 17 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8365538/Rise-of-PC-dinner-as-Britons-eat-at-their-computers.html 18 Visocky O’Grady, J,K (2006). A Designer research manual. US: Rockport Publishers. 29. 19Visocky O’Grady, J,K (2006). A Designer research manual. US: Rockport Publishers. 25

Bibliography Books:

Web sites:

Schlosser, E (2001). Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

http://www.wrap.org.uk/ http://plana.marksandspencer.com/ http://www.thepeoplessupermarket.org/ http://beunpackaged.com/our-philosoph/ http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2121.Michael_Pollan http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/295709 http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2121.Michael_Pollan http://www.wrap.org.uk/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-489364/Could-shop-fortnight-foodpackaging.html http://beunpackaged.com/why-packaging/ Bull,2012, Transcript of Speech made at The Battle of the Ideas – http://www.thepeoplessupermarket.org/home/?p=94#comments http://www.catherinequinn.com/clips/clip29_TNworkinglunch.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8365538/Rise-of-PC-dinner-asBritons-eat-at-their-computers.html http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/shove/transitionsinpractice/papers/Habits%20and%20 their%20creatures.pdf http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail_supply_chain/research_tools/research/case_study_ rpet.html

Blythman,J (2006). Bad Food Britain: How A Nation Ruined Its Appetite. Great Britain: Penguin books. Steel, C (2008). Hungry city. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus Edward Denison & Guang Yu Ren (2001). Packaging prototypes 3. London: rotovision Leonard, A (2010). The story of stuff. Great Britain: The Bobbie and Dewi. Visocky O’Grady, J,K (2006). A Designer research manual. US: Rockport Publishers. Stuart,T (2009). Waste uncovering the global food scandal. Great Britain: Penguin books. Goldbeck,N,D (1995). Choose to reuse. New York: Ceres Press. Itoh,M (2010). The just bento Cookbook. Tokyo: Kodansha Pollan, M (2006). The Omnivore’s dilemma. London: Penguin books. Pollan, M (2009). Food Rules. London: Penguin books Rogers,H (2005). Gone Tomorrow. New York: The New Press Smith, K (2008). How To Be An Explorer of the World.

Appendices For the food diary see Appendix A

For the testing session leaflet see Appendix B

For the video - testing sesison see Appendix C

Thank you