Kids using re:Mix
Moludlar and repaiable design
re:Mix hero
Side view on re:Mix
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Name of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)
re:Mix, the circular kitchen mixer for your own glass jars
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URL of a video introducing the work（under 5 minutes）
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X49rJqoXhDg
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Detailed explanation of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)
Frustrated with kitchen mixers breaking within months from purchase, we created a long-lasting, repairable kitchen mixer, to prove that circularity can go hand in hand with aesthetics and ease of use.
From electronic waste and huge CO2 emissions to poor working conditions and long supply chains, kitchen appliances contribute to some of the world’s most serious environmental and human rights problems of our times. They break easily, inhibit repairs and offer spare parts at exorbitant costs.
At every level, re:Mix is designed for the circular economy. In terms of materials, it reuses standard glass jars, has a 100% recycled, regional plastic casing, 100% recycled plastic feet, and uses locally 3D-printed parts. The design is modular and repairable, without the use of harmful adhesives. Assembly and repairs are done locally in Berlin in our own workshop. And a digital layer provides easy access to additional services: a buy-back scheme, a material passport and open-source documentation, guided repair tutorials, and easy spare part ordering.
Contrary to how appliances are built today, re:Mix is a local product made in Berlin. By using decentralised fabrication methods, publishing files open-source and using a local supply chain, we are circulating economic value in our community, creating local jobs and rebuilding the much-needed repair infrastructure. Our product design and production setup has been engineered to be replicable in other makerspaces such as FabLabs, while making use of locally-available materials - paving the way to a new type of scaling production and repairs for the local communities.
re:Mix is just the first step in paying the way for something bigger: A decentralised system for home electronics and components that are built and repaired locally, allowing anyone with a basic workshop to build their own home appliances - toasters, lamps, kettles, mixers, speakers and more; and anyone with a screwdriver to repair their own products. -
How does your work address the 3 P’s (for Planet, for People, for Profit) for Sustainability?
**Planet
We are aiming for a product lifetime of our re:Mix kitchen blender of over 30 years, 5 times longer than the average. re:Mix is a multipurpose device with an increased utility rate - replacing a blender, coffee grinder, spice grinder and more. This means that for every blender we make, we avoid the need of making at least 4 other blenders - saving the equivalent material resources and GHG emissions. This is made possible by the following strategies:
1. A product design that’s durable, modular and repairable at the same time.
2. Prioritisation of reused and recycled materials, such as the reused glass jars or the 100% recycled plastic casing.
3. Making repairs simple, by providing digital repair guides, affordable spare parts and giving open-source access to our design files.
4. Establishing a local hub for production, repairs and refurbishment in Berlin, while using a local supply chain (over ⅔ of all parts are made in EU) and using decentralised production technologies (3D printing, CNC milling).
**People
By preventing e-waste and building recycled / reused materials into our products, we are keeping the environment clean for people and our fellow animals. Furthermore, by making it easy for people to prepare food at home, we are supporting one of the healthiest habits one can acquire. Lastly, by making re:Mix in our Berlin-based workshop, we are in full control over working conditions and according to high German social security standards.
**Profit
We’re a for-profit, independent company. We generate revenue B2C by selling products and accessories direct-to-consumer as well as buying back and reselling refurbished items; and B2B as on subscription basis that includes maintenance. -
Where (country, region, etc.) have you primarily carried out your project?
Berlin, Germany
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What is the timeline your project has taken place over?
Jan 2020 - Present
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Keywords
#circularelectronics #open-source
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If you have a website for your submitted project or idea, please provide the URL
https://www.openfunk.co/
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If you have a social media account for your submitted project or idea, please provide the URL
https://www.instagram.com/open_funk/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/open-funk/
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Special Prize Question 1: Is there a mechanism in place to inherit culture and industry as assets for people living in that area 100 or even 1000 years from now?
By decentralising production and making things locally, we are bringing back manufacturing to the Berlin region. This has long-term repercussions for the area, such as job creation, generation of economic value for the region, and skills in the areas of manufacturing and repair. Our scaling strategy is to partner up with makerspaces and replicate our current setup, multiplying these benefits for other regions.
Furthermore, the open-source blueprints act as a guarantee that our company will not become a bottleneck for spare parts and new product development, even if we do not exist any more.
Lastly, by allowing users, makers and children to interact with and build their own products, we are laying the foundation for a new way of looking at electronics: away from the black box which no one understands, and towards the visible combination of precious resources and energy. -
Special Prize Question 2: What is the positive impact on biodiversity? Is the project creating a cycle not just from a human-centered perspective but for the entire ecosystem?
E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream globally (according to the United Nations) increasing by 21% to 53.6 million tonnes between 2014 and 2019. Europe ranks first in the world with 16.2 kg of e-waste per capita per year. E-waste poses a threat to human and animal health and the environment as it contains toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury that damage the human brain and/or coordination system. Less than a fifth of it is recycled, and much of it ends up on open landfills. By avoiding e-waste, we are making a crucial contribution of keeping the environment healthy - for humans, animals and nature in general.
Same goes for the use of recycled and reused parts. The entire outer casing is made from 100% recycled plastics that have been collected in France that would have otherwise taken thousands of years to decompose. -
Special Prize Question 3: Are you enabling new forms of collaboration with others? New forms of collaboration might include cross-industry cooperation, co-creation with consumers, or role transformations within the supply chain.
One of the main reasons for going open-source is to enable a new kind of cross-industry collaboration, that connects miners, manufacturers, users, and recyclers. As the blueprints get ever-refined by the manufacturers and makers, cross-industry standards will organically emerge. It will always be the more economical option to start from something that already exists and has been tested, than to start from scratch. Further downstream, users and recyclers can use information stored in our material passport to correctly recycle / refurbish / dispose of the product.
On the other hand, users and makers can build their own products locally in their own communities, by using machinery that is typically available in makerspaces. This turns them from consumers to prosumers, expanding their understanding of how products are made and what goes into them. We have already heard from hackers and artists starting to work on coffee-grinder modules or swapping the outer casing materials for wood. Through this lens, re:Mix is a platform to build upon rather than a finished product.
