LastObject’s reusable table top tissue box saves consumers 9,300 single-use tissues annually
20 Jan 2021 --- LastObject is unveiling a new product as part of its efforts to eliminate single-use items. LastTissue BigBox is a tabletop version of the brand’s on-the-go reusable tissue pack, LastTissue.
LastTissue BigBox is designed to look like its single-use alternative, the Kleenex box, but is reportedly better for the environment.
Made from 100 percent organic cotton, each tissue that comes with the box is good for 520 washes – with 18 tissues in each box, 9,300 single-use tissues and their packaging can be saved per person annually.
The box is made of medical-grade silicone and is dishwasher-safe. It will launch on Kickstarter on February 2.
“We made a silicone barrier that goes in the middle of the LastTissue BigBox, separating the clean tissues from the dirty ones. This way your clean tissues stay clean,” co-founder Isabel Aagaard, tells PackagingInsights.
“So you just pull a tissue from the top, and when you’re done push the used tissue inside the bottom opening. When you’ve gone through all your tissues you can just throw them in the wash with the rest of your laundry.”
A brand on a mission
LastObject is a Danish brand “on a mission to break people’s single-use habit.” Founded in 2018 by Isabel Aagaard, the company has three products on the market and has already helped eliminate over 1 billion single-use items.
Made from 100% organic cotton, each tissue is good for 520 washes, with 18 tissues in each box. “LastTissue is like if a handkerchief and a tissue pack had a baby,” the company says.
LastObject also launched items such as LastSwab, a reusable alternative to cotton swabs, buds and Q-tips.
“We were blown away by the response people had to LastSwab, our first product. We raised US$1.3 million through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. We've been very pleased with the response to all our products, I’m still amazed so many people are willing to change their habits a little bit for the planet,” Aagaard says.
The company also unveiled LastRound, a reusable alternative to makeup pads and rounds. The product is made of a shape-shifting fabric that feels just like regular cotton rounds when liquid is applied and one pack is good for 1,750 uses or more.
“We have a lot of exciting products on the sketching board that we will perfect through the coming years. Our goal is to really make a difference with our products and for that we need good products and scale,” Aagaard concludes.
Away with single-use
The news comes as the transposition of the EU Single-Use Plastic Directive (SUPD) into domestic law has reportedly stalled in some European countries due to COVID-19-induced disruptions.
In July, and one year ahead of the Directive’s transposition deadline, EU Member States were presented with various means of adopting the upcoming rules, ranging from bans to labeling requirements and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.
The industry is researching viable alternatives to plastic and a new report charting how reusable beverage cups performed in pilot systems was released by investment firm Closed Loop Partners. The pilots mapped how reusable cups can effectively replace single-use packaging in the public foodservice sector.
Meanwhile, Huhtamaki and Stora Enso welcomed new scientific evidence finding paper-based single-use products more environmentally responsible than reusable tableware in European quickservice restaurants.
By Kristiana Lalou
