esign too d r a l l u kit c r ci
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n rh a r b om e f u r nit ure
is this what the perfectly circular furniture looks like?
contents
executive summary
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the tools for the brands
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- design
- production - users
- circular strategies
circularity meter
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how it works
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future possibilities
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executive summary
how it started This design tool-kit is the result of a semester-long project which started out with a very broad topic of investigating ‘Circularity in the Furniture Industry’. As the project progressed through research on the topics of circularity and how the furniture industry is addressing this issue, it became clear just how complex ‘Circularity’ is. Given the fact that the majority of industries have been working with a very linear model since the twentieth century, it is understandable that attempts to transition into a circular model will be very complex. This transition will be a systemic change and one that will need to resonate through the entire value chain.
research The first part of the project was to develop an understanding of the topic of circularity and its various aspects. This step was followed by looking into different furniture brands and their strategies and attempts to become circular. Depending on their scale, audience, history and type of furniture they made, these brands all had different strategies addressing circularity to some extent, but very few had a well rounded approach. To better understand how brand might design their furniture better, designs that would not only be as per circular principles but also help their users behave in a circular manner, theory such as Émotionally Durable Design’ was also investigated.
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inferences Many things came out of the various fields of research that were conducted for this project. To begin with it became clear that circularity is more complex than it seems, it is not linear and needs to be approached through several dimensions thanks to the different members of the value chain and their positions in that network. This complexity along with the fact that all brands are unique and different in their own ways and have restrictions of their own makes it difficult to have ‘one right’ approach to circularity. Customer behavior is also a big part of this intended change and to help and ensure that customers act circularly as well, designing products in a way that encourages such behavior might be the solution.
conclusions With the same goal in sight but obstructed from adopting one same strategy, due to their differences, a flexible tool-kit might be the solution to help as many brands as possible to reach that goal. As brands have the power and capacity to affect major actors of the value chain, it is crucial that they have the right tools to bring about this change. Hence, this tool-kit has been developed for home furniture brands to provide them with a moldable tool that can not only help them plan their designs and strategies better but also measure how they add up together. The four main categories of tools identified for this tool-kit are integral parts of the value chain linked to a brand.
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Illustrated model of the ‘IDEAL CIRCULAR VALUE CHAIN’
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Actors from the value chain identified for this Tool-Kit
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Brand
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r Acquisit i on s
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the tools for brands
D e si g n
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Production
U s er s
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design
This is a tool that has the potential to affect all parts of the value chain. Being the starting point of every product, it is the tool with which a brand can not only decide the aesthetics of the furniture but also how it will be used, perceived and finally how it will be treated after it’s first user is done with it. Choosing the right components of this tool can also help the brand ensure longer use of the furniture by the user by helping create emotional layers between the user & the product.
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tools for the brand
components of the tool to choose from:
ethical & contextual
heritage
tactility
true to the brand’s beliefs and based on authentic ideas
innovation cultural relevance
taking elements from the past relevant for the target audience invokes emotional responses through textures, finishes...
room for personalization
includes some form of innovation and wowfactor drawing inspiration from target audience’s culture gives user the option to add elements/marks of their own
old-school craft element
including elements of traditional craftsmanship
technological intervention
incorporating technology to add more functions for the user
designed for disammebly
the furniture can be taken apart & built by the user
graceful aging
brings out the beauty of the material (layers) as it gets older, like denim
designed for longevity
materials, joineries, finishes etc that ensure long shelf life
narrative
design tools
has an interesting story around the design, materials, form…
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production
The phase where designs and ideas are manifested and transformed into tactile objects. This tool helps not only to define how the furniture/ object will be made but also how it will start leaving its footprint and how it can be handled by the user or brand during and after use.
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tools for the brand
components of the tool to choose from:
green energy source
production facility is powered by renewable energy sources
made easy to repair
made to allow the furniture to be repaired multiple times
minimal wastage
cut pieces are not discarded but are used elsewhere
knock-down mechanism
can be taken apart and put back together several times
non-virgin material
recycled, reused or refurbished materials are used in the making
certified green materials
materials used that have certifications from recognised organisations
eco friendly and bare minimum packaging material
non-synthetic surface finish
water based, natural oil or eco friendly finishing products are used
minimal & green packaging
prodution tools
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users
The phase of the value chain where the finalized furniture/object spends most of its ‘time’, is with the user/ users. The components of this tool will help decide how the brand can help extend this ‘time’ and in doing so keep the furniture/object in the usage cycle for as long as possible.
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tools for the brand
components of the tool to choose from:
repair services
helping the user to get their furniture repaired by the brand’s vendors
long term warranty
refurbishing services
user can get their furniture refurbished by the brand’s vendors
upgradable / exchangeable
the user can upgrade/ exchange the furniture to a newer model at a price
component supply
the user has the option to buy and replace damaged components
customisable post sale
user can customize some parts of the furniture in the early years of use
users tools
giving the user at least a few years of warranty (minimum 5 years)
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circular strategies
Once the first user is done with the furniture and it is still in usable condition, that is where this tool comes into play, to ensure that the furniture/object does not end up in a landfill. The components range from strategies that either help the brand’s customers to pass the furniture to other users or the brand acquires them themselves and puts it back into circulation.
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tools for the brand
components of the tool to choose from:
take-back services
acquiring the product from the user when they are done with it
resale services
helping the user to sell the furniture to prospective new users
refurbish & re-sale
acquiring damaged furniture from users and selling it to new users
recycle
acquiring the furniture from the user to ensure proper recycling
2nd life, new avatar
using components of furniture from the user to make new ones
adaptive remanufacture
re-purposing the original furniture into a different one
circular startegy tools
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D e si g n
lar Strateg u c r ie Ci s
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Production
U s er s
larity meter circu
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an apparatus that will help the brand calculate how circular their designs are
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how it works
The following example illustrates how this tool-kit can be used and we’ll be considering a hypothetical brand ‘A’ that is using the tool-kit for one of their new designs in development and the components of the tools that are relevant for their brand and that piece: Step 1: Selecting the furniture. Brand ‘A’ chooses their two-seater sofa.
design
ethical & contextual
innovation
heritage
cultural relevance
tactility
old-school craft element technological intervention graceful ageing
room for personalization narrative
design for disammebly design for longevity
circular strategies
green energy source
made easy to repair
minimal wastage
knock-down mechanism
non-virgin material
certified green materials
minimal packaging
non-synthetic surface finish
users repair services
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production
long term warranty
refurbishing services
upgradable / exchangable
component supply
customisable post sale
take-back services
re-sale services refurbish & re-sale
recyclable
2nd life, new avatar
adaptive remanufacture
Step 2: Selecting the components of the ‘Design’ tool Step 3: Selecting the components of the ‘Production’ tool Step 4: Selecting the components of the ‘User’ tool Step 5: Selecting the components of the ‘Circular strategies’ tool Step 6: Measuring how the circularity meter adds up based on their choices
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how it works
Brands can also compare how their different products measure up with each other although they might not be able to apply the same tools on all their designs, but the difference in the meters can be an indication for the needed changes that they might have to make to improve their scores.
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In this case, for brand ‘A’, their two-seater sofa’s circularity meter fares much lower than that of their floor lamp.
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future possibilities
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