Packaging Gets Functional: From Box to TV Stand
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on 07.19.07

A perfect companion to the lite2go lamp in your zero waste home, the television packaging designed by Tom Ballhatchet becomes the television stand. Putting wheels on it for easy transport home, Ballhatchet designed the areas that the screen occupied inside the package to be used as shelves for the TV stand (the wheels come off and go underneath), and the result is the first large appliance packaging we've seen that won't end up in the recycle bin or landfill when you get it unpacked. Yeah, TVs will soon hog the most energy of any single appliance in your home, so we generally aren't crazy about boob tubes, but you can't deny the intelligence and design savvy of this innovative package, and you won't have to worry about what to do when you upgrade. Check out step-by-step pics of the unpacking and setup process after the jump. ::Tom Ballhatchet via ::Hugg and ::Gizmodo



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Coolest thing I've seen all day, what a great idea. Nice find!
I like it, no waste and you didn't have to buy a stand to go with the new TV.
As for packaging in general I'd like to see more cardboard and less foam. I have noticed that some products are coming this way but many still have non-recyclable sp?foam.
brilliant
What a great idea, especially for people who move frequently (like college students). I wonder if it would not carry some high-design price tag, if it would actually be affordable for people with very limited discretionary income (like college students).
It seems cool, until you realize that it's made of petroleum-based plastic and that it will eventually end up in a landfill... just not right away.
How about the people who already have a TV stand? What if they want the particular TV that is packaged with this stand, but they don't want the stand itself? Since it's impossible to buy the TV without the packaging, there goes the stand, into the landfill.
What happens when people grow tired of this TV stand and want a different one? Or want to upgrade their TV?
We need to be thinking about biodegradable packaging solutions, I think. Everything has a lifespan. What happens at the end of that lifespan is very important to consider in design!!!
As I agree with the last comment completely! I'm just glad that someone's decided to do something about all the waste that comes out our of mass-produced products (..like the waste from packaging electronics)
It might not be the BEST solution, but it is one at that.
I like it, and the other idea too the one that said it was made of plastic and would end up in the dump anyway... so here is my spin... make it out of hemp fibers. they are biodegradable and they are also EXTREAMLY strong. if they don't want the stand, well FREECYCLE it! give it to the needy, you will reap great rewards too! : )
Wow,
I run a tv stand shop and this is the best idea when it comes to audio video furniture I have ever seen. Saves money, good for the environment, flexible. What else can u ask for. If it catches on, i'll be out of business, still great design!
www.tv-stands-shop.com
this is what we need more of in this world. packaging that can be used for something else. even better if the packaging is made from recycles products!