Designing for Circularity—Addressing Product Design, Consumption Practices and Resource Flows in Domestic Kitchens

Abstract

Both the daily use and renewal of kitchens significantly contribute to the overall environmental impact of domestic buildings. To identify design implications related to circular consumption in domestic kitchens, 20 household interviews and one focus group session were performed, investigating how kitchens are used and transformed to meet households’ wants and needs. This study determined that daily kitchen resource use is greatly affected by kitchen design and that typical kitchen design generally does not promote sustainable resource use. Key factors that support minimization of resource use in the kitchen are the availability and planning of storage and workspaces. Furthermore, kitchens should be equipped with functions that enable households to use energy and water efficiently. Regarding kitchen renewal, various motivations that may initiate kitchen renovations can be summarised as follows: (1) Functional demands and changing needs, (2) aesthetic demands and changing trends, (3) obsolescence due to wear, and (4) linkage to another home renovation. This article concludes that a combination of design strategies is needed to reach a higher level of kitchen circularity. Moreover, these design strategies must be accompanied by circular business models and efforts to increase awareness of the environmental impact related to activities in and involving the kitchen.

Linking product design and durability: A review and research agenda

“…Some salient examples are design for upgradability ( Xing and Belusko, 2008 ), design for remanufacturing and refurbishing ( Bakker et al., 2014 ; Charter and Gray, 2008 ; Steeneck and Sarin, 2018 ; W. Wang et al., 2017 ), design for use optimization ( Mont, 2008 ), design for repairing ( Cordella et al., 2021 ; W. Wang et al., 2017 ), and design for longevity ( Carlsson et al., 2021 ). Other approaches encompass CE strategies, aiming to provide various alternatives for consideration by designers during early product development phases ( Bovea and Pérez-Belis, 2018 ), while some other approaches focus on measuring and assessing the greenness of extending the lifespan of products ( Alfieri et al., 2018 ; Desing et al., 2021 ; Franklin-Johnson et al., 2016 ; Hagejärd et al., 2020 ). CE has also been analyzed from the design process perspective, considering multiple lifecycles ( Asif et al., 2021 ), product personalization ( Maldini et al., 2019 ), and based on the morphological product structure ( Tena, 2021 ).…”

Determining spatial characteristics for circular building design: The case of kitchen alterations

“…Previous studies have pointed out that kitchen alterations are driven by the lack of functional qualities of contemporary floorplans, design trends, regulations, inadequate quality of built-in materials and lack of adaptability of space that leads to unnecessary changes in surrounding layers [18]. Hagejärd et al [20] additionally found that motivations for kitchen alterations include a dissatisfaction with the kitchen typology, a lack of worksurface and storage, insufficient floor area, obsolete furniture or appliances, a wish to enhance the appearance of the kitchen, and fluctuating household sizes.…”

Exploring Barriers for Circularity in the EU Furniture Industry

“…In particular, strategies for the transition towards CE furniture models and its relation to the sustainable development goals have been the focus. Thus, the main issues addressed are the strategic organization of the furniture supply chain, with particular interest in the potential of component standardization and design strategies as a way of closing the loop in the furniture business [24,56]. Beyond this business scope, other works focus on best practices at the industrial and institutional levels [57] and on potential policy instruments and interventions through regulatory packages [54].…”