To change the way the world recycles - this was the ambitious aim of Troy Hoidal when he was forming a company focused on making recycling "simple and rewarding" through eco-efficient products.To translate this brand promise into a design language, the two initiators approached BMW Group Designworks USA in September, 2005. The project: To develop a clean and worry-free home recycling center with a chic design: The Ecopod!Chic, creative, clean: The Ecopod
Since this was the first ever compact recycler, Designworks conducted a market study to understand the users at first. The designers had to build from a design and engineering standpoint the product from the ground up. For phase three of the project, the team applied the product values to context. There they developed the mechanics for this one of kind aluminum can and bottle can compacter. From an engineering standpoint, approximately 180 patented, crushing mechanisms existed, but none were designed to handle the range of sizes of both large and small cans as well as all the different sizes and shapes of plastic bottles. Next, the crusher needed to be quick, clean, simple and easy to operate. There were also explorations into hand operated versus foot operated versus powered crushing. Ultimately, the design included a foot pedal and a circle opening at the top. Additionally, the unit had to be in alignment with the product’s promise of compact and recyclable. The materials used were recyclable and the unit was rather small and compact.

The Ecopod in action
Lastly, the revised prototypes were created. From there, the prototypes moved into production. The ecopod released in November, 2006 and was resoundingly successful: BMW Designworks received the iF Product Design Award for the ecopod. After showing the designs to various high end retailers, Ecopod has had to increase their sales forecast dramatically. The hope is that being proactive in protecting the environment will become a habit and not a flashy trend.