Saving bees with Bee Saving Paper
Polish company Saatchi & Saatchi IS Warsaw teamed up with City Bees, an organisation that encourages a passion for bees in urban communities, to develop Bee Saving Paper, biodegradable paper that functions as an energy drink for bees.
Because of the extensive use of pesticides, rapid industrialisation and unprecedented urban development, it is not going well for the bee. In Poland alone, 222 out of 469 species are on the verge of extinction. Bees have to fly much further in search of the plants they need, and these long distances exhaust them.
The paper, developed in collaboration with Manufaktura Papieru Czerpanego w Kobyłce, functions as an energy drink for bees, so that they can reach their destination. It contains a lot of glucose, the same as used by beekeepers during winter, and honey plant seeds. Only 0.5 kg of glucose is enough to feed several thousand bees.
To lure bees, the non-sticky paper is covered in water-based UV paint, which is applied in patterns that to bees look like a meadow full of flowers.
The paper, which is made to be littered, functions as an extra rest stop for bees. The insects eat the glucose, gaining new energy, and leave behind the seeds of Lacy Phacelia, a favourite plant of bees. The aim is that the seed will start to grow, so that the next season, bees can benefit from it.
Bee Saving Paper has already passed a successful field test, when it was used to create the visual identity – or as the creators prefer to call it, “beesiness identity” – for a beekeeper who lost over 95% of his hives.
The creators suggest that the material could be used for disposable products like coffee cup sleeves, bags, tickets, or paper tableware. They are currently looking for partners. Click here to find out more.
Photos: Bee Saving Paper