Docka
This Ikea circular economy design and product redesign utilized insights distilled from the e-waste downstream to redesign Ikea's global supply chain and serve as a model for what an in-house circular economy could look like.
Design Strategy | Competitive Landscaping | User Research | Content Photography | Strategy | Product Design | Design Strategy | Story Boarding and Illustration
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Partnering with:
Homeboy Electronics Recycling
Product Redesign
Circular Economy
Retail Experience
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Solution: Use a product take-back system to create engaging customer experiences and build brand loyalty, while cutting down on waste and emissions.
Problem: Companies only address the front end of a product's life cycle, leaving e-recyclers to tackle impossible volumes of electronic waste.
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Understanding the issue
RESEARCH
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Problems and Solutions
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Problem: Ikea uses band-aid fixes for a bigger environmental problem
Solution: Make Ikea the leading example for sustainability and create an engaging user experience
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Problem: Electronic parts are difficult to disassemble
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Solution: Make recycling e-waste as easy, visible, and transparent as possible
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Problem: Mass production treated as a one-way system
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Solution: Reduce impact from materials used in the product and extend the usage of the material
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Measuring Current Product Impact
Benchmark Product:
Ikea Rallen
Product contains extraneous amount of different materials and lengthy disassembly time.
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Highest impact steamed from material extraction, refining, and processing as well as disposal
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Opportunities for improvement:
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Final Redesign
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Design Solution: Redesigned Ikea charging Docka made from closed-loop materials and interacted product return experience.
Product Redesign
Circular Economy
Retail Experience
Current Linear Life Cycle
New Circular Life Cycle
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product redesign
Recycling as Branding
Recycling as branding makes a material logo that is familiar yet unique to the product.
CMF Strategy
Standardized polypropylene materials enables closed
loop system
Target Users
Energetic Singles
Cool Splash
Satellite Employees
Black Star
Newbie Families
Confetti splash
Freshmen Dormers
Midnight
Designed for disassembly
+ Labeled parts
+ Special tool open tabs
+ Disassembly area
+ 100% recyclable
Product return station
By giving reward point when users return electronics, it encourages consumers to participate in the system and raises brand loyalty
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Improving upon the existing return system:
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Keep the existing recycling center at the exit, but add a return product area at the store entrance.
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Dematerialization
By integrating material with a line of furniture, the amount and variety of material can be reduced.
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Improved Impact
Old Product Life Cycle Analysis:
New Product Life Cycle Analysis:
Improvements
Benifits
+ Circular economy are normalized to
consumer
+ Less materials extracted
+ Less waste
+ Smaller carbon footprint from
material processing
+ Smaller shipping footprint
+ Almost 100% recyclable
