Circular- and Ecodesign Approaches for Regenerative Product Development ?? ?

In the second of our 3-parted series on "Applied Planetary Thinking" we talk about the ecodesign aspects of our TAKE case study and dive into the details of material choices and circular design principles that went into it.

Marius: Let's start with the basics. What is TAKE, and how does it address urban mobility challenges?

János: TAKE is a free-floating sharing service for transportation solutions that helps transform cities into more livable places. We found that as cities focus on quality of place and human-centered infrastructure, there is often less space for cars. As existing infrastructure is built within the car-centric city paradigm, people have to walk more and carry their shopping bags and luggage until the build environment adapts. TAKE addresses this challenge by reimagining the classic handcart for car-free "Superblocks", bridging the gap between the cities we have now and the infrastructure we want for the future.

Marius: How does TAKE differ from a traditional handcart?

János: TAKE is not just a cart; it's a multifunctional product-service-system that serves as both a transportation aid and urban furniture when not in use. We looked at the complete usage scenario and designed TAKE to be an integral part of the urban environment.

Marius: Interesting. Can you elaborate on the sustainability aspects of TAKE?

János: Sure! We focused on creating a product that retains its value for as long as possible. This is achieved through repairability, refurbishment, and remanufacturing. We've designed TAKE with modular components made of durable, recycled materials such as polypropylene and aluminum that can be easily reprocessed in existing material streams. As a service business model, TAKE owns the carts and ensures that all materials are kept in a closed loop.

Marius: Can you go a bit more in-depth about the sustainability of plastics and aluminium. Plastic doesn't sound very ecological to me.

János: I understand your concern, as plastics and aluminum are not typically associated with sustainability. However, it's important to consider the specific materials and their lifecycle in the context of the product.

For TAKE, we use recycled polypropylene for the main body. Polypropylene is a highly recyclable plastic with a well-established recycling infrastructure. By using recycled polypropylene and ensuring proper recycling at the end of the parts life, we minimize the environmental impact and contribute to a circular economy.

Many bioplastics on the other hand can't be recycled with available infrastructure and even though some of them are biodegradable they aren't composted either because current composting plants aren't operating at high enough temperatures or long enough intervals for the plastic to break down fully.

Aluminum, the other material we use a lot, is a highly recyclable material that maintains its properties through many recycling cycles. We use anodized aluminum castings for TAKE's load-bearing structure, ensuring longevity and durability. The aluminum components can be easily reused, refurbished, remanufactured or finally molten down for other uses.

It's crucial to note that the sustainability of a product depends on how materials are sourced, used, and recycled. By using recycled materials, designing for modularity and repairability, and managing a closed loop material flow as well as possible, we maximise the resource efficiency of TAKE throughout its lifecycle.

Marius: Interesting, thanks for the explanation! Another unique aspect of TAKE is the electric drive. Why did you include this feature, and how does it align with your sustainability goals?

János: Transforming car-centric neighbourhoods into Superblocks is a big challenge. To create a successful service in this context it's important to design an alternative that is as attractive as possible for a wide range of people. The electric drive increases comfort and user-friendliness, especially in steep terrains and with heavier loads. An additional objective was to make TAKE a service that people of all ages really want to use, the drive train enables us to do just that. While it may not be the most ecological component itself, it contributes to the overall goal of accelerating systemic change towards more sustainable cities.

Marius: TAKE's design doesn't really look like a typical eco-focused product. What was the strategy behind that design decision?

János: We want people to identify with TAKE not just as committed ecologists or car deniers, but as modern, progressive individuals who appreciate smart technologies and appealing design. When developing TAKE, we asked ourselves: What message does the product convey about the user? How do we want people to feel when walking around using TAKE? The combination of the electric drive and TAKE's design language conveys innovation and progress, and promotes the acceptance of sustainable mobility solutions beyond the classic eco-niche.

Marius: Sounds like you put a lot of work into making TAKE as compelling as possible for a broad target audience. How do you see TAKE evolving in the future?

János: TAKE is really just a tool to facilitate the transition to regenerative cities, and may only be a temporary solution until the infrastructure adapts to the needs of the people within a car-free space, like the 10-Minute-City aims to do. We're not necessarily in the mobility services business, we're in the regenerative transition business. We live in car-centric cities every day, so it was an obvious choice to start here.

Marius: Anything else you want to add?

János: I always think its astonishing how a simple question changes to outcome of a project in major ways. For us the that question was: "How do we create value for a wide range of users and across the entire user journey?". To answer this we needed to understand the whole system in which the product operates. But this thinking was essential in developing the urban furniture aspect, which may not be obvious when you think about designing a trolley, but came up quite quickly when we started thinking about creating value while TAKE is not in use.

Marius: János, thank you for sharing insights into TAKE and your vision for sustainable urban living. It's fascinating to see how a seemingly simple product can have such far-reaching implications.

János: Thank you, Marius. We believe that systems thinking is essential for creating regenerative products and services and are excited to continue working on some of them!

If you've missed the first part or want to know more we'll share the links in the comments!