The Use2Use Design Toolkit consists of five design tools that can be used to increase the understanding of users' needs and requirements, generate ideas for circular products and services, and evaluate concepts for circular offers. The tools have a special focus on how to make it more attractive for people to, for example, rent, sell and borrow products in everyday life.
The Use2Use Design Toolkit has previously been noticed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) on their top 100 list of research projects with the potential to create benefits, for example through industrial commercialization, business and method development or social impact.
Oskar Rexfelt and Anneli Selvefors competed in the category "New tools / methodologies to support circular design for products and services". The jury consisted of experts from EIT RawMaterials, ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability), the European Environmental Bureau and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Congratulations on winning the Raw Materials and Circular Societies Prize!
“Thank you, it feels fantastic! We are very happy that the jury liked our contribution, but above all we hope that this will make the tools more visible to companies and other potential users.”
What was the procedure of the competition?
“During the summer of 2021, we submitted our contribution and were then selected along with other shortlisted candidates to pitch our tools to the jury during the autumn. At the end of the year, we were informed that the jury had selected us as winners.”
Why do you think that your tools received the highest ranking?
We believe the jury liked the toolkit's focus on achieving so-called narrow loops, which deals with how products can be circulated for reuse without the need of industrial processes in between each user. Few other tools for circular design put the users center stage and have the ambition to facilitate a circular everyday life. In addition, the tools are designed to be inspiring and easy to use.”
Have companies shown an interest in the tools?
“Absolutely, we get many inquiries about the tools, and many are curious about how they can be used. More and more companies are interested in circular design and are looking for suitable methods and tools. Our first batch of physical kits is sold out, but since more people have shown an interest, we are now producing new ones. Since 2020, we have also been offering free downloadable pdf versions on our website www.use2use.se. We will soon reach 3,000 downloads.”
What is happening in your project right now?
“We work a lot with the utilization of the tools. Together with our industry partners, we run workshops to evaluate how the tools can best be used in various development processes. We also use the tools for teaching in several courses at Chalmers. Recently, we have also made the tools available for use via the digital whiteboard platforms Miro and Mural.”
The EIT Raw Materials and Circular Societies Prize 2021
The competition is organized by The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which is an independent EU body strengthening Europe’s ability to innovate. The main purpose of the award is to support the development and implementation of circular business models in Europe. The entries in the competition are ranked based on a number of criteria, for example Circularity impact, Market needs and Quality of the team. 10.000 Euro will be awarded to the winners in each of the three categories:
- Products and services designed to fit within a circular economy
- New tools / methodologies to support circular design for products and services
- Digital Products Passports
The Use2Use Design Toolkit
You can find the tools at www.use2use.se where you can also read more about Oskar's and Anneli's research. The Use2Use Design Toolkit was developed with funding from the Kamprad Family Foundation, which also supports the ongoing research project "Design for circular consumption".