Consumer goods

From household electrical appliances, textiles and furniture to cleaning products, personal care products and paint. All products that consumers use for long or short periods of time fall under the heading of consumer goods. They are products that we use daily and frequently and that make our lives easy, pleasant and hygienic. But which also create a huge mountain of waste.

The growing world population, on the one hand, creates even more economies of scale and lower prices, making products more readily accessible. On the other hand, the group of people with more to spend is growing and this, too, is causing more consumption. So the demand for consumer goods is exploding. At the same time, there is a trend in decreasing product lifespan and the quality is getting worse on average. Products are thus becoming waste even faster.

The waste phase of consumer goods has major problems. Collection does not always go well. Think, for example, of all the electronics that remain unused in drawers. Or mattresses that are left outside in the rain and then fester in storage, causing a fire. Moreover, repair or recycling does not work well because of the design and materials of the products. Highly Hazardous Substances (ZZS) play a role in this, for example. There is still a world to be won in many areas. And that starts with circular design.

Whether it's designing products with disassembly in mind(design for disassembly) or regulation(right to repair, product passport). To new business models such as Product as a Service or Pay per use. To new materials or sorting and recycling technologies. Innovation is needed in all aspects in consumer goods chains.