Gold Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design · 2021
LastSwab Reusable Swab
by LastObject
- A' Design Award 2021 Gold Winner in Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: LastObject
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 75,406
- Verification code 529B0EE2A3 · Verify this award
About LastSwab Reusable Swab
LastSwab is a reusable swab created as an alternative to single-use cotton swabs. LastSwab can be used up to a thousand times and is easy to use and easy to clean. The shape is designed to feel like a familiar cotton swab. Two versions are made: a Basic version for general use and a Beauty version with an angled tip for correcting make-up. Both versions come in a carrying case made from recycled ocean-bound plastic, which is also used for the rod. The tip is made of thermoplastic elastomer and does not absorb water.
Nicolas Aagaard's LastSwab Reusable Swab emerges from the contemporary sustainable design movement that seeks to reimagine everyday disposable objects as durable, aesthetically considered alternatives. This award-winning design addresses the environmental impact of single-use personal care items through thoughtful material selection and elegant formal resolution. The sage green colorway positions the product within a broader visual vocabulary of ecological consciousness, where muted botanical hues communicate alignment with natural systems and environmental stewardship. The carrying case demonstrates sophisticated understanding of user behavior, providing hygienic storage that enables portability while the circular aperture suggests consideration for travel accessories and organizational systems. Typography on the accompanying kraft packaging employs scale and weight to communicate essential information with clarity, the bold numerical statement creating immediate comprehension of the product's environmental value proposition. The material palette harmonizes recycled or recyclable elements across both primary object and secondary packaging, suggesting holistic consideration of the product lifecycle. One might observe how the white swab tips provide necessary visual and tactile differentiation for the functional elements while maintaining chromatic restraint. The textured surface of these tips appears designed for effective yet gentle contact, balancing functional requirements with user comfort considerations. This work invites contemplation of how industrial design might address accumulated environmental consequences of convenience culture, transforming mundane daily rituals into opportunities for meaningful choice. How might sustained engagement with such thoughtfully designed objects influence broader patterns of consumption and disposal?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- LastSwab is a reusable and sustainable alternative to single-use cotton swabs. LastSwab is designed to be used up to a thousand times and to be easy to use, easy to clean, and most importantly designed to feel like the swabs we are used to. It is made in two versions, a Basic version to replace the purpose of a cotton swab, and a Beauty version with an angled tip for correcting make-up. Both come in a carrying case made from recycled ocean-bound plastic, which is also used for the rod of the swab.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- LastSwab (in carrying case): Width 109 mm x Depth 18 mm x Height 14 mm
- Tags
- Reusable, Sustainable, Swab, Buds, Q Tip, Alternative, Ocean Bound Plastic, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Ears
- Production Technology
- In collaboration with Resea Project, ocean-bound plastic is collected and driven to a factory where it is transformed into plastic pellets. Afterward, the plastic pellets are pressed through an injection mold and into molds that shape the rod. Then the rod is mechanically removed, turned, and over-molded. In the next step, the tip made of TPE is applied to the rod. Finally, the swab is put into the carrying case, which undergoes the same stage of production as the rod, only in a different mold.
- Design Challenge
- The hardest part is creating something new, while at the same time not forcing change upon the user. We all know how hard it is to change our habits. If you create a product that expects the user to change a habit you risk them buying it but not using it. This would defeat the purpose of LastObject. Creating something beautiful, durable, simple, environmentally friendly, and self-explanatory is also important, but less of a challenge.
- Project Duration
- The project started in November 2018 in Copenhagen and LastSwab launched on the crowdfunding platforms Kickstarter and IndieGoGo in April 2019. LastSwab is now available on our own website.
- Operation Flow
- When using LastSwab, simply take it out of the carrying case and use it for any purpose you may have. It can be used for anything that you would use a regular cotton swab for. It does not absorb water. After using it, you can clean it with hot water and soap.
The beauty swab has an angled tip that is made for correcting make-up. - Research
- Online search will usually lead to scientific or business reports. Ultimately we'll create several "life cycle assessment" reports for each of our products to understand the impact better. It starts with the question: Does this need to be a single-use item?
We used Google and Wikipedia which then led us to more hard facts.
We do user trials with prototypes. Our process is quite circular: research, design, tests, feedback, design changes, or new research and repeat. - Inspiration
- Every day 1.5 billion disposable cotton swabs are produced and every year an average person uses hundreds of them. To manufacture a disposable cotton swab resources have to be taken out of the ground, moved to a production facility, produced, packaged, shipped, and then purchased by a consumer. This entire procedure requires the cotton swab to be used once and then discarded. By using LastSwab we eliminate the need to produce and use resources that are unnecessary.
- Image Credits
- Image #1, Photographer Tetiana Kolosko, 2021
Optional Image #1, Photographer Tetiana Kolosko, 2021
Optional Image #2, Photographer Tetiana Kolosko, 2021
Optional Image #3, Photographer Tetiana Kolosko, 2021
Optional Image #4, Photographer Tetiana Kolosko, 2021
Video Credits:Edvinas Maciulevicius and Louise B.Maciulevicius, silksocial.co, 2020 - Patents
- Patent Application No: PCT/EP2020/050768 - PCT
Colors of LastSwab Reusable Swab
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