POP-UP cabine trolley by Zoom Bags
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
POP-UP is a soft 2-wheel cabin trolley, Made in Italy with recycled materials, light, unbreakable and easy to maintain, customizable thanks to the color options of some components.
POP-UP saves up to 50% space when stored after use. It is made up of over 60% E.V.A. recycled rubber and its linings are made of 100% recycled PES from plastic bottles or production surplus. It can be easily maintained by detaching the linings for washing and easily replacing the wheels in case of damage.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
ZOOM BAGS is an Italian brand of suitcases based on two patents, created for contemporary travelers: essential style, functional use, innovative solutions. ZOOM BAGS are designed with a focus on saving space when stored, using recycled materials and reducing the impact on the Earth.
POP-UP is the first Zoom Bags product, a soft trolley with 2 wheels, designed by Chiara Caramelli and Made in Italy, lightweight, unbreakable, customizable thanks to color options of some components, suitable for the travellers who want to stand out, lovers of Made in Italy design.
POP-UP allows to save up to 50% of space when stored at home after use.
POP-UP can be customized by choosing among a wide range of fashionable color linings and components, to create your own personal travel companion.
In case of fall POP-UP bounces rather than breaking because its shells are made of rubber and contains over 60% of recycled certificate material produced in Italy with 10 different colors.
Internal lining is polyester made of plastic bottles recycling, detachable and washable in water for cleaning.
Our sustainable choice also foresees the recovery of surplus fabric production: the colors of linings may change according to stock availability, always guaranteeing the chromatic harmonies.
Thinking to the most awake and "frequent" travelers, POP-UP guarantees the stability of the trolley when fully loaded, thanks to a patented No-Tip* system and allows simple maintenance with Easy Click*, a patented system for replacing wheels in case of damage.
POP-UP is color! The colors are inspired by an Italian journey through a path that winds from north to south, since White Dolomites to Black Stromboli, passing across Green Tuscany, Yellow Maremma, Turquoise Sardinian, Red Pompei, up to Orange Sicily, among the best known Italian places that we will never stop discovering, accompanied by our trolley POP-UP.
DIMENSION 55X40X20 cm
WEIGHT 2.7 kg
VOLUME 30 L
*PATENT PENDING
Key objectives for sustainability
The first key objective achieved by the project is ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND CIRCULARITY, that has never really been addressed in this product category. In details:
Use of recycled materials. For the trolley shells. Cooperating with an italian supplier we have developed a new material that recycles the production scraps and wastes by firstly reducing it to powder and then reinserting it into the production cycle by melting it with the virgin material. This process allows 62% of waste material to be recycled.
For the trolley liners. Even if it is an important product attribute, it is secondary in terms of overall aesthetics. We then chose to use fabrics coming from production surpluses that remain unsold. Consequently, the covers will never be a continuous product in terms of color or graphics, but it will vary from time to time based on stock availability. This allows avoiding the mass production of new components while using what has already been produced reducing this way our environmental impact.
Single-material product. For greater ease of recycling, we stressed the reduction of components to be assembled with the aim of creating a "single material" product. In particular the handle and foot are integrated into the shells and molded with the same recycled material.
Extended Life Cycle. Consumers can manage the product maintenance by their own thanks to easy-to-supply & replace broken or worn wheels or easy-to-wash detachable linings.
Local production: We decided to resort for the packaging and molding of shells (with the exception of standard components) on zero Km sourcing, resulting in a Made in Italy production. Infact, the shell manufacturer is located in the Florentine hinterland as well as the packaging laboratory and the distributor. This way the manufactured products do not have to travel thousands of kilometers before being sold with significant benefits in terms of reducing emissions.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
A second key objective achieved by the project is the CUSTOMIZABLE AND EXCLUSIVE DESIGN of the product which is intended to satisfy the customers’ growing need for personalization, distinction and originality when buying their luggage. This is another innovative feature brought by our product into its category. In details:
Exceptional physical properties of the material: The design of the Pop-Up trolley is inspired by the material it is made of: an expanded and soft E.V.A. which is obtained through an industrial process of injection molding and which is then manually stabilized by an operator, using cooling forms that contain its shrinkage and maintain its shape. The elasticity of the material is functional to the sought-after characteristics of shatterproofness, lightness, shock absorption (and content protection), controlled deformation (that allows for reduction in volume when stored), adaptability to narrow spaces (such as a car trunk) as if it were a fabric suitcase.
Personalization options: It is possible to personalize the luggage according to ones own aesthetic and functional needs by combining 10 different shell colors with 12 different colors for the linings and components. This make possible to offer a fully customized luggage. In the future, combinations of front and rear shells in different colors will be also possible together with the possibility of adding further functionalities, internal layout (i.e. office set) or different portability options (i.e. backpack).
DIY: The study on the reduction of the number of components together with the simplification of assembly operations, allow consumers to carry out by their own some assembly operations with the help of tutorials and instructions. This innovative aspect, which promotes a "do it yourself" approach in a fashion product, also allows to significantly reduce assembly costs to the point that production in Italy is still possible even for a mid-range trolley.
Key objectives for inclusion
A third key objective of the project was to SUPPORT THE ITALIAN PRODUCTION SYSTEM AND EMPLOYMENT LEVELS by keeping most of the production process in Italy. This is in contrast to the offshoring strategy to China and Asia pursued by many mid-range brands. In details:
Network of local suppliers: Our business idea is based on the exceptional production capacities and know-how we have in our country. This is why in the Florentine hinterland there is the shell manufacturer, the packaging laboratory and the distributor. We are working to further implement our inclusion policy by also involving some social laboratories (which work with people in need and in difficulty) in the production and packaging of our products.
Medium price target: our goal is to maintain an medium price target, in line with the products of the most well-known brands that produce their trolleys in Far East, and to keep our price accessible to the greatest number of people.
Results in relation to category
The POP-UP trolley stands out in the industry international scenario, both for all the values already listed that are related to sustainability in the broad sense, and for a unique and highly recognizable product design. The impact on the market is not yet measurable, but in this scenario, the Pop-Up trolley turns out to be the only example in its product category in which a travel accessory is rich in many experiential values that make it versatile and very attractive in the view of a post-modern consumer.
How Citizens benefit
The challenge of creating a Made in Italy product synonymous with quality, involving local workers and maintaining an average price of the product, was won through the development of a project that simplifies all assembly operations and involves the consumer in the design and assembly part of his product.
The next goal we are working on is the involvement of a Florentine social laboratory in the assembly and packaging of the product, which will allow us to improve the involvement of disadvantaged people and give them a new opportunity.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
There are many innovations for this product: recycled EVA, unbreakable and light materials, customizable and DIY product, easy maintenance and washing, space-saving, unique design. Within the entire industry it is possible to find all these characteristics only in this product, in fact the products of the same price range have standard characteristics and are made entirely in Far East Asia.
Furthermore, there are no experiences in this sector that involve social workshops, but rather the production chain is oriented towards creating maximum profit by saving time and using low-cost labor.
Learning transferred to other parties
As previously highlighted, the creation of a fashion product with the many values already highlighted is the result of a project studied both as a design and as a production process. In fact, it was possible to create a technically very complex fashion product, positioned in a medium-high range, with innovative and current characteristics universally recognized through a careful design of the production process, which also involved the producers of the individual parts that compose it.
This optimization of the production process as well as of the product can also be extended to other production sectors.
