The fourth Circular Design Internship was conducted in Machine Design Department in Linköping University between February 4th –April 26th, 2019. Eleven interns from four universities including University of Limerick in Ireland, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain, NHL University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, and Linköping University in Sweden have participated in it.
The interns were divided into two teams focusing on different environmental problems. Team White Goods collaborated with industrial partners including Electrolux, Stena Recycling, Tiranius AB, El-kretsen, Neptunia Invest AB, Tricircular AB. Their challenge was to explore and identify ways to increase the reuse of white goods and appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, stoves etc., before they are formally classified as waste. As a solution, they re-designed the recycling centers including re-use shelters to increase the reuse of white goods. They also developed a self-fix tool kit as a part of this solution. It allows the consumer to repair the white goods themselves with the help of a mobile application. Team Textiles collaborated with Saiboo, a workwear design company. They developed a system of garment maintenance aiming to decrease the microplastic pollution in oceans. It includes a washing machine filter to prevent microplastics reaching the ocean, a web page to raise awareness about microplastics issue and give information about the filter, the third one is a logo and QR code design aiming to extend the lifespan of garments and encouraging repair and reuse. The team enthusiastically dealt with multiple levels of this problem and developed a system solution aiming to transform both the technical aspects of the system and people’s mindset.
Overall, the interns gathered related information and developed inspiring circular design solutions. The final presentations took place on April 26th, 2010 at Linköping University.
