Circular Economy Case Studies
Companies and projects which implemented principles of a circular economy
Following case studies will give an overview about companies, who implemented principles of a circular economy and also projects, which picture how the shift might work for users in the future.
Vigga.us
VIGGA is a danish company which tackles the problem of the fast outgrown of children’s clothing. They ask themselves the question “What if clothes could grow with your child?” and started providing a service that allows parents to lease maternity and children’s wear, which will saves time, money and resources. (vigga.us, 2017)
Precious Plastic
Local recycling of already existing materials and turning it into something new is the aim of Precious Plastic. A set of machines including a plastic shredder and a rotation moulder, can be used to turn waste plastic into raw materials like filament for 3D printers or completely new products. This could create an ecosystem of closed loop production in local environments. (Precious Plastic, 2017)
ReGen Villages, EFFEKT
The danish architect studio EFFEKT designed a concept of off-grid and regenerative housing. Its village structure uses a holistic approach to turn outputs of one system into inputs of another. With innovative technologies like renewable energy, organic food production and waste-to-resource systems, the model tries to tackle upcoming global challenges. (EFFEKT, 2016)
RePack
RePack is a returnable and reusable packaging service, that offers a sustainable way of delivery. During online shopping, people can select RePack as a delivery option. After they have received their packages, they can drop the RePack into a post box, which will go back to the retailer. This saves packaging material and reduces CO2 emissions by 80%. (RePack, 2017)
Use Me/Lose Me, IDEO
The speculative design is an answer to the question “What if your sandwich maker sold itself if you didn’t use it?” A sensor is attached to electronic appliances which sends its owner a text message of the latest resell price, when it is not being used enough. If the user agrees, the service can sell the item automatically to an interested buyer. (IDEO, 2016)
Twenty, Mirjam de Bruijn
This project questions the way cleaning products for the household are sold. Its aim is to “reduce plastic waste and CO2 emissions from transport by removing the water that makes up 80% of the cleaning products’ ingredients.” (Sheth, 2017) Twenty will sell only the ingredients and reusable plastic bottles, in which users can add the water at home.
Amazin Apartment, Future Facility
Designer Sam Hecht and Kim Colin from the design studio Future Facility created for the Design Museum’s NEW OLD show a service that helps tenants to manage and maintain their household appliances. When people age, everyday tasks can become difficult. This speculative design helps to picture how a service could create more convenience and assistance in the household. (Burgoyne, 2017)
H&M Conscious Garment Collecting Box
In 2013, the fashion brand H&M launched their garment collecting initiative. It is a take back service for old, unwanted clothes in all their stores worldwide. Since they have launched the initiative, 40,000 tonnes of garments have gathered for reusing and recycling. (H&M Group, 2013)
References
Burgoyne, P. (2017) What if Amazon did housing?, Creative Review. Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/what-if-amazon-did-housing/ (Accessed: 15 November 2017).
EFFEKT (2016) Regen Villages, effekt.dk. Available at: https://www.effekt.dk/regenvillages/ (Accessed: 15 November 2017).
H&M Group (2013) Recycle your clothes, hm.com. Available at: https://about.hm.com/en/sustainability/get-involved/recycle-your-clothes.html (Accessed: 15 November 2017).
IDEO (2017). Smart things that will save the world. IDEO. Available at: https://www.ideo.com/blog/smart-things-that-will-save-the-world (Accessed: 18. June 17).
Precious Plastic (2017) Precious Plastic, Preciousplastic.com. Available at: https://preciousplastic.com (Accessed: 15 November 2017).
Sheth, S. (2017) Concentrated cleaning materials reduce pollution and waste, springwise.com. Available at: https://www.springwise.com/concentrated-cleaning-materials-reduce-pollution-waste/ (Accessed: 15 November 2017).
Vigga.us (2017) What if clothes could grow with your child?, Vigga.us. Available at: https://vigga.us/in-english/ (Accessed: 15 November 2017).
