Kankan and Morrama launch a refillable dispenser range for canned body care

Award-winning industrial design and innovation consultancy Morrama reveals its latest work for circular pioneers Kankan: a reusable and sustainable dispenser for canned personal care products. Morrama created the Kankan dispenser solution to have minimal impact on the environment, whilst maintaining the design qualities that inspire customers to impact positive change in their daily lives.

The London-based brand has taken the humble can and transformed this to a desirable object for the home. Having captured the industry’s attention with its 3D printed Can O Dream’s concept in 2020, created in collaboration with batch.works, Kankan approached Morrama to take this a step further and develop a dispenser for the can that reduced materials, waste and weight and improved user experience.

The design team took a reductive approach and designed a cap and pump attachment which clicks to the top of the refill itself, celebrating the beautifully branded Kankan can by keeping it on show. The new design is developed with longevity in mind. Each component is separable, enabling users to maintain, recycle, or replace specific parts as necessary during their lifetime.

Jo Barnard, Founder and Creative Director of Morrama, said: “On average, British adults throw away 312 plastic bottles per year, but only half of us recycle bathroom packaging. There are limited plastic-free options available on the cosmetic market, especially for liquids. Ultimately the most sustainable way of getting soap out of a can is to simply pour it straight into your hand. We’ve attempted to do the next best thing whilst also improving the user experience and creating a memorable aesthetic.”

Most multi-use bathroom products on the market either require you to insert a refill into a case or pour a refill into a bottle. These are either heavy on material use, or frustrating for the user. The can is central to the Kankan offering and so Morrama chose to keep it on show, experimenting with a series of attachments that made replacing empty cans a quick and easy process. The resulting design is simply clicked on to the can and secured in place with a thumb screw, making the changeover process a much faster and hassle-free experience than the previous experience of pouring the contents into a glass bottle.

Andy Trewin Hutt, Associate Director of Morrama, added: “We wanted to celebrate the rawness of the materials being used, so everything is neutral and natural in colour. The cap and screw are made from 100% PCR plastic and the dispensing pump is 50% PCR plastic; the remaining 50% virgin plastic required for cosmetic compatibility and function.”

Eliza Flanagan, Co-Founder of Kankan, commented on the new product: “Our ambition is to make circular solutions simple and easy for the consumer. We hope that by making refills more convenient, it helps broaden the appeal and reduces our consumption for single-use plastics in the home. Morrama truly understands and champions our values and purpose, and the new design offers a premium product experience that makes everyone’s homes a bit more sustainable with every refill.”