Northumbria University graduate Rocky Brooks has designed a disposable and fully recyclable flat-pack bed for dogs to help reduce costs in rescue centres.
Affordable and fully recyclable, Brooks’ Dog Goes Here bed is made from cardboard, and can be easily assembled in three simple steps.
The product offers an alternative to the plastic dog beds currently used in most UK pet rescue centres, which require regular cleaning and often get damaged by anxious or stressed dogs. This means that they need to be disposed of regularly.
The Dog Goes Here bed is cut, pre-folded and printed from a single piece of recycled cardboard, and comes with a fully recycled paper sleeve that is removed and disposed of before assembly.
The bed net is then simply unfolded into shape, before bedding is added and the bed is labelled with the dog’s name.
Its flat-pack nature also makes the product easy to store, while three different sizes ensure that all animals have a suitable place to sleep.
The bed can then be recycled if it gets damaged, or once a new home has been found for its occupant.
Based on quotes from manufacturers, the cardboard bed is estimated to cost more than five times less to produce than a regular plastic bed, based on 1,000 units.
For centres that house up to 50 dogs at a time, the cost of replacing these beds every few days, or even hours, can add up to a substantial amount.
“Hygiene and costs are of critical importance in dog rescue centres,” said Brooks.
“Dog rescue centres rely on donations and outside funding in order to operate,” he continued. “This includes staffing, day-to-day running of the premises, and most importantly, equipment.”
“The use of cheap yet robust recyclable materials combined with a purposefully short lifespan means this product could improve the lives of not only the dogs, but also the staff of the rescue centres,” the designer added.
Brooks’ dog bed was exhibited as part of the New Designers graduate show in London, which took place for two weeks throughout June and July.
Also on show was a collection of couture garments made from seaweed, by Edinburgh College of Art graduate Jasmine Linington.
Every element of the Seaweed Girl collection is made using seaweed and wood, including colourful bead-like embellishments made from a mixture of seaweed and eco-resin.
Rocky Brooks’ flat-pack rescue dog beds are affordable and recyclable [Dezeen]