Made Thought, IBM, & A Plastic Planet Launch 'World’s First Online Encyclopedia of Plastic-Free Materials'

Last week, creative studio Made Thought announced that they partnered with IBM and A Plastic Planet for what they called the world’s first “online encyclopedia” of plastic-free materials and substrates. 

The handy reference tool comes as part of an initiative from the studio called "Made Thought Labs," a laboratory of innovation looking to solve some of the most troublesome design challenges that face business and brands today. With the COVID-19 pandemic very much still alive and kicking along with the other environmental and economic crises laid out before us(or as we like to call it, 2020), the studio says that it will gather some of the best design and business leaders to tackle these seemingly insurmountable problems.

The studio believes that now, more than ever, we need to collaborate in order to co-create meaningful solutions as we hurtle into an unknown future. And we need to do it fast.

Part of that meant tapping A Plastic Planet and their resource library, saying in their newly launched encyclopedia, “we want to dramatically RETHINK the use of indestructible plastic that is destroying our oceans, our soils, our air, and the health of future generations.” Once accessed, you can filter based on degradability or compostability, among many others, including durability and price, perfect for a packaging project that wants to move in a more sustainable direction. Additionally, you can save materials and pages for later, while also finding recommendations based on your preferences and needs.

Made Thought has worked with APP in the past, designing both their Plastic Free Trustmark and the world’s first Plastic-Free grocery aisle.

“The coronavirus crisis has seen the future accelerate into view,” said Ben Parker, co-founder of Made Thought and Made Thought Labs, in a press release. “At Made Thought, we believe co-creation is key to transformative design to fast-forward change. 

“We believe hardship provides the conditions for the kind of miraculous progress that takes us all to new levels of being,” he added. “The future belongs to those societies, businesses, and people bold enough to use adversity as their oxygen.”

“Everything humans make starts with design, and we need to empower designers with unbiased information to help them create plastic-free solutions for industry," said A Plastic Planet Co-Founder Sian Sutherland. "This new global platform will be the resource designers are hungry for, created with the world-class combination of IBM technology and Made Thought Labs deep strategic thinking and creativity.”