Amsterdam – Made using recycled plastic from fishing nets, toothbrushes and industrial waste, the REX chair by Dutch furniture brand Circuform and designer Ineke Hans is intended to be used, returned and taken home by someone else.
The premise of the plastic ‘deposit chair’ is simple. After purchase and use, customers are given a chance to exchange the chair for a partial refund, ensuring that it will be repaired, re-used or upcycled to create more chairs. By taking the start and the end of product’s lifecycle into account, the REX chair significantly diminishes its environmental impact. ‘It is a chair that will basically last a lifetime, but the reality is our society doesn't work like that,’ explains Ineke Hans.
By giving customers an option to return objects, Ineke is appealing to Generation Rent – Millennial and Generation Z consumers who use décor and accessories to personalise impermanent abodes. With consumers desiring flexibility and variety when furnishing their homes, new models of ownership that position Furniture as a Service must arise to ensure maximal sustainability.
Strategic Opportunity
Contemporary furniture consumers emphasise flexibility over longevity. Companies can consider introducing afterlife programmes that incentivise customers to return items for new pieces or upcycling