Moonlight Scepter by EasyCard, Taiwan
Tapei – Residents of Taipei can now ride the local subway using a magic wand instead of using paper or debit payments cards. The Moon Stick IC Card is a replica of a prop from Sailor Moon, a popular anime programme from the 1990s.
Released by contactless payment provider EasyCard Corp, the wand is 18cm long and lights up when used. Despite being composed of gleaming pink and gold plastic, the item is completely functional and can also be used for transactions outside of public transportation.
This isn't the first time EasyCard Corp has dabbled in quirky designs. The company has previously incorporated payment technology into Instant Ramen keychains and Taiwan Beer bottle replicas to dissuade DUIs.
At a time when companies like Fendi are experimenting with financial accessories, luxury and fashion brands are well positioned to offer creative items that add a sense of fun to payments.
Switzerland – Tackling the issue of animal waste in the meat industry, designer Souhaïb Ghanmi is repurposing surplus bones into home and electronics goods. The Elos Range is a series of electric switches and sockets made from bone debris from the slaughtering process.
In the past, bone waste from the butchering process was used to create tools and implements like knife handles. Over time, though, the material was replaced by plastic. With 130 billion kilograms of bone waste produced by slaughterhouses every year, however, the problem of animal waste persists today.
Instead of discarding bone by-products, Ghanmi is advocating for their use in domestic spaces. He has created the Elos range by grounding bone waste from the meat industry into a powder and then repurposing the material to create electric appliances. In homage of the material’s origins, the sockets have been fashioned to resemble joints from the human skeleton.
Contributing to Whole-System Thinking movement, the project demonstrates how even the most unexpected resources can be used to create more sustainable future materials.
Elos by Souhaïb Ghanmi, Switzerland
