One Product: Many Lives

What’s the big idea?

      A problem in the apparel industry today is that consumers are generating and using products at a faster pace than we can even imagine. They want their product now and they want it fast. Once the product is done being used, however, the product is disposed of and never reused. This waste is clogging up landfills at an unusually fast rate. The guilty apparel industry is one that could use a lot of help when it comes to making a product have more than one life. We do not want to create monstrous hybrids- mixtures of materials that cannot be saved after their one life cycle. Instead, we want to create many lives for one product. This concept is known as technical metabolism. Having a product and creating multiple life cycles for it is going to be a key component for the future of the apparel industry.

What’s the big solution?

    While we may think that there has to be some grand solution to our problem to help foresee many life cycles for a product, we do not have to make it more complicated than it already is. I realized that with each purchase we make we always take our merchandise home in a paper or plastic bag. Why not incorporate multiple life cycles for these bags often just thrown away after a short amount of usage. Yes, we do sometimes use these bags for trashcan liners, but I believe we can make these bags more useful in an innovative way. I imagine having a bag that has straps that can double as a belt, a necklace, and a bracelet. The bag itself could also be used as a purse if needed. The detachable strap can be removed to be used as any of the above products or they can simply stay so that you can have a purse or shopping bag. The store would allow the customer to choose their style of bag which with which they will also bring back the next time they come shopping in the store so that the store is not constantly giving out new bags.

How does this incorporate Cradle to Cradle?  

    The idea of cradle to cradle is to bring waste a new life. Instead of just throwing a product away and building up landfills, why don’t we give this waste a second chance to fulfill another duty. I learned from the reading, Cradle to Cradle, that we are putting so much pressure on our earth to provide more and more for us each day. This is a big problem that if not fixed will cause us major issues for our environment. The idea of having a bag that doubles as a shopping bag and purse that is constantly being reused is giving new life to a product that once before was being discarded as soon as the consumer got home. The detachable strap is also being reused several times as accessories. This will allow consumers to buy an entire “look” when they are shopping. They can get their clothes at the store and with their purchase, get a bag that can double as an accessory. The consumer will need to look no further after their purchase at this store because they have provided endless accessorizing options by giving three and four lives to this one product. The video watched this week also helped me to realize that we have not been following nature’s rules of nothing being wasted. This design concept is now following these rules.