Every day, billions of pieces of food packaging are tossed away across the world.
From the plastic wrappers on snacks to the containers that hold everything from yogurt to fruit, it’s easy to overlook just how much waste we generate with every meal.
But what if there was a way to change all of this? What if food packaging could not only serve its purpose but also vanish after it’s done, leaving no lasting impact on the environment?
Well, a revolutionary design coming from Sweden might just have the answer.
Hannah Billqvist and Anna Glansén, two Swedish designers from the Tomorrow Machine collective, are creating an innovative packaging solution that tackles the global problem of waste.
Their product—dubbed the Sustainable Expanding Bowl—is a biodegradable, cellulose food wrapper that does more than just hold your meal.
It actually cooks your food, transforms into a bowl, and then can be safely disposed of by dissolving it in water or composting it when you’re done.
Imagine a world where every meal’s packaging dissolves in water, leaving no waste behind. The implications for the environment could be huge, as the duo is reimagining how we package and dispose of our food.
Let’s take a deeper look at how this groundbreaking product could change the future of food packaging—and our relationship with waste.
The Growing Crisis of Food Packaging Waste
Let’s start by thinking about how much food packaging you encounter daily. The plastic container your yogurt comes in.
The thin plastic film that wraps your sandwich.
The plastic bag holding your fruits and vegetables.
And don’t forget the plastic straws and sauce packets that accompany take-out.
It all piles up, often ending up in landfills or, worse, the oceans.
Food packaging is one of the largest contributors to environmental pollution, especially plastics, which can take hundreds of years to decompose.
In the U.S. alone, over 10 million tons of plastic packaging are thrown away each year, much of which ends up in landfills or the environment.
As plastic waste continues to increase at alarming rates, the need for sustainable packaging solutions is more urgent than ever.
For years, we’ve heard about the problem, but few solutions have come close to solving it on a large scale.
Yes, we’ve seen progress with recycling programs, biodegradable alternatives, and paper products, but we still have a long way to go.
Billqvist and Glansén’s work with biodegradable food wrappers could just be the solution we need.
Introducing the Sustainable Expanding Bowl: Cooking and Composting in One
Now, let’s dive into the core of Tomorrow Machine’s breakthrough.
The Sustainable Expanding Bowl is unlike anything we’ve seen in the food packaging industry.
It’s made from biodegradable cellulose, an organic material derived from plants, which means it breaks down easily and naturally.
But it doesn’t stop there. The real magic happens when you add hot water to the package.
Here’s how it works: the cellulose wrapper is designed to hold freeze-dried food, such as rice, smoothies, or olive oil.
All you need to do is pour hot water through a spout in the packaging, and the food inside is instantly cooked.
At the same time, the wrapper starts to soften and expand, turning into a fully functional bowl.
You can then eat your meal directly from this makeshift bowl.
Afterward, once you’ve finished your food, you can dissolve the packaging in water or toss it into your compost heap.
No waste. No harm to the planet.
It’s a simple, yet brilliant, concept.
The packaging material is not only fully biodegradable but also designed to degrade at the same rate as the food inside.
The entire process, from cooking to composting, is an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional packaging.
The Intricate Science Behind Biodegradable Packaging
Creating biodegradable packaging that can hold food without sacrificing shelf-life or structural integrity is no small feat.
The challenge lies in the chemistry of the materials.
The packaging must be durable enough to store food, prevent spoilage, and handle transportation, all while being able to break down in a natural way.
But here’s the twist: to make the Sustainable Expanding Bowl effective, the designers had to make sure that the packaging material didn’t react with the food it contained.
As co-creator Anna Glansén explained in an interview with Wired, “The good thing about plastic is that it doesn’t react with other materials very easily.
But that is also the bad thing about plastic because it means that it makes the natural decomposition process difficult.”
Traditional plastic packaging doesn’t break down in nature because it’s chemically stable. That’s why plastic waste accumulates so rapidly in landfills and oceans, with little to no natural breakdown process.
To solve this, the designers experimented with different material combinations to ensure the packaging would decompose at the same rate as the food inside.
For example, in their prototype, the olive oil comes in a wax-coated, caramelized sugar container, while the raspberry smoothie is stored in an agar seaweed gel container.
Why the different materials?
Because the agar gel won’t react with water, which allows it to break down once it’s un-refrigerated, just like the smoothie it holds.
It’s this level of detail and innovation that sets Tomorrow Machine’s packaging apart from anything we’ve seen before.
The team had to consider not only the environmental impact but also the practicality of packaging foods with different properties.
For example, the smoothie or fruit juice, which contains water, could not be stored in the same container as olive oil, which requires a different storage solution to maintain its shelf-life.
A Future Where Packaging Can Decompose Like Food
The potential impact of this biodegradable packaging is enormous.
Think about the convenience of using a single container that you can use to cook your food, eat your meal, and then dispose of without leaving any waste behind.
It’s a solution that could make an immediate difference, especially in sectors like the fast food industry, outdoor and camping markets, and for individual consumers who want a more sustainable lifestyle.
Furthermore, the ability to dissolve the packaging in water or compost it provides a direct alternative to plastic waste, which often takes centuries to degrade.
When you consider the millions of tons of food packaging that are thrown out every year, the environmental benefits of this innovation become clear.
Reducing the carbon footprint of food packaging is a crucial step toward addressing global plastic pollution.
But Wait—Is This the Ultimate Solution?
Now, let’s challenge the assumption that biodegradable packaging like the Sustainable Expanding Bowl is the definitive answer to the global packaging problem.
While it’s undoubtedly a significant step forward, there are still questions to answer before we can truly rely on these solutions.
First, the cost. Creating materials like agar seaweed gel and caramelized sugar coatings is likely more expensive than manufacturing plastic.
The widespread adoption of biodegradable packaging will need to come with cost-effective manufacturing techniques, so it can be produced at scale without pricing out consumers.
Second, there’s the issue of consumer habits.
While a product like the Sustainable Expanding Bowl sounds great in theory, it remains to be seen whether consumers will embrace it.
Will people trust that it won’t compromise the quality of their food?
Will they be willing to change their behavior and use new kinds of packaging that might require extra effort in handling?
Lastly, while this packaging is biodegradable and compostable, it’s important to note that not all waste is treated the same.
Composting systems aren’t universal, and not all areas have the infrastructure to support the proper disposal of biodegradable materials.
Without the right facilities in place, even eco-friendly packaging could end up in a landfill.
Despite these challenges, it’s clear that Tomorrow Machine is on to something big.
The company’s commitment to creating a sustainable, fully biodegradable packaging system represents a significant innovation in the quest to solve the global plastic waste crisis.
What’s Next? The Microgarden and Beyond
While the Sustainable Expanding Bowl is still a few years away from hitting supermarket shelves, Tomorrow Machine isn’t resting on its laurels.
In the meantime, they’re releasing another innovative product: the Microgarden.
This miniature greenhouse is made of paper and uses agar seaweed to help people grow micro-greens and herbs at home.
The Microgarden highlights the potential of plant-based materials to revolutionize not just packaging, but also how we grow food in urban environments.
Billqvist and Glansén’s work points toward a future where sustainable materials replace plastic in nearly every aspect of our daily lives—from food packaging to household goods and even agriculture.
As these innovations continue to evolve, we might just see the end of the plastic era, making way for a world where waste is minimal, and sustainability is the norm.
The Final Word: A Sustainable Future Is Possible
Tomorrow Machine’s work is proof that with creativity and scientific ingenuity, we can reinvent the systems that have caused harm to our planet for decades.
As designers Billqvist and Glansén look toward a future where biodegradable packaging becomes the norm, it’s clear that the possibilities are endless.
The Sustainable Expanding Bowl isn’t just a product; it’s a symbol of what we can accomplish when we challenge the status quo and think outside the (plastic) box.
