Bringing Right to Repair to Sustainable Product Design

Earlier this month, second year Sustainable Product Design BA students had the opportunity to work on a live brief alongside Bang Creations, an industrial design engineering business, to help get their insight when factoring the circular economy into new products.  

A core part of the Sustainable Product Design course is to develop innovative solutions that address global challenges, engaging with social innovation, and environmental and economic sustainability. This project was the perfect opportunity to put this into practice.

About Right to Repair 

‘The Right to Repair’ is a global movement established to empower consumers to be able to fix the products they own when they stop working, rather than face inflated repair fees from manufacturers or throw them away. Right to Repair enables access to the tools and parts needed for repairs, and the information required (such as manufacturer’s manuals) to understand how to disassemble, fix the problem, and reassemble a product. Being able to repair products to extend their longevity is deemed a critical part of the circular economy.   

During the project with Bang Creations, students were asked to design a small domestic appliance embracing Right to Repair and circular thinking. They explored opportunities for products that heat - such as toasters and kettles - products that move - such as kitchen scales and fans - or products that do both - such as hairdryers and heaters. The students were challenged to develop products with a 100-year life span that encourages environmentally sustainable behaviour. 

Simon Andrews, course leader said “The students benefited enormously from the input from Bang Creations on the module. Using Stefan’s model for design innovation allowed them to examine the business contexts of their design concepts alongside sustainable design strategies.” 

At the end of this project, students held an exhibition Care to Repair: Design for a circular economy showcasing their creations.