Vax, of the leading makers of vacuum cleaners in the U.K. has created a vacuum cleaner that is made, at least in part, from its own packaging. The Vax ev was designed by Jake Tyler, a Vax intern and student at the U.K.’s Loughborough University and although at present it won’t be hoovering up consumers’ cash, the company is mulling over producing a limited number of units. How does this thing work? Says Environmental Leader:

The vacuum cleaner body is made of flame-retardant cardboard panels, which start out as part of the retail box the cleaner is sold in. Consumers then separate the parts and snap the pieces into place around the motor housing, without using any glue. Those components that cannot practically be made of cardboard are made from recyclable, pure nylon plastic using RP (rapid process) manufacturing, rather than injection moulding. This means the Vax ev can be manufactured locally to order, the company says, without the need for costly tooling molds and assembly lines.

And the cardboard panels can be easily replaced if they get damaged, and cost less to produce than comparable plastic panels. Vax says the ev is a “high-performance vacuum cleaner”—so, in other words, it sucks...or not. Anyway, it’s an approach to integrating packaging and products in a sustainable way. It’s an intriguing idea and I’d love to see more examples of this kind of thinking.