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Message Wee Generation Diaper Bag “Wee Generation’s eco-friendly diaper bag is an important development in consumer goods. The initiative sets the pace for an environmentally intelligent industry and will continue to change how goods are created and repurposed going forward.”—William McDonough, sustainability consultant As companies and consumers alike become increasingly mindful of the well-being of future generations, cradle-to-cradle practices are more important now than ever before. Eager to address the evolving attitudes and behaviors of parents, Seventh Generation, IDEO, Rickshaw Bagworks, Healthy Child Healthy World, and sustainability guru William McDonough, worked together to conceptualize and create a sustainable design language for the next generation of diaper bag. During a two-day workshop, the team applied IDEO’s design-based methodologies to understand the needs and desires of an eco-centric audience of parents, manufacturers, and sustainability stakeholders. With the goal of creating a functional, fashionable, and cradle-to-cradle-certifiable bag—one whose material inputs and outputs can be recycled, reused, or composted—the team observed moms and dads in their day-to-day parenting to uncover latent needs. In turn, these needs would inform the bag’s design principles and aesthetic qualities. Various bag concepts were prototyped with stakeholders to spur feedback, with the final design pulled from the most successful concepts and features. Manufactured by Rickshaw Bagworks, the Wee Generation Diaper Bag (WGDB) is PVC-free and made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Highly functional and manufactured responsibly, it is self-standing with interior dividers and visual cues to subtly inform the user during their ever-busy day. Waterproof, with a wipe-clean liner, the bag has a removable insulated feeding tote, changing tote, and plush changing pad. Stroller attachment straps allow multiple modes of use, and fashionable colors, textures, and a modern form factor give parents the functionality they desire, without looking overly “mom-ish.” The WGDB is currently pursuing Cradle-to-Cradle certification, and launches in June 2008. http://www.ideo.com/work/wee-generation-diaper-bag