Research projects

The Use2Use thinking has emerged as the result of an explorative process encompassing several research projects and studies conducted over the course of many years:

Mining Garage Gold (2022-ongoing): this research project explores the potential for increased reuse in Swedish households and whether households can be enabled to release unused products to be reused by others. The project is funded by Formas.

Design for Circular Consumption (2020-2023): this research project explores the usefulness and value of the Use2Use Design Toolkit. The project is funded by Familjen Kamprads stiftelse and five partner companies will be engaged in the project: CEVT, Nilson Group, Valtech, Yovinn and EmmaMalena.

Consumption in the Neighbourhood 2030 (2020-2021): this research project investigated how local actors can support sustainable consumption in three smaller towns in the west of Sweden. The project was funded by Västra Götalandsregionen and was led by Science Park Borås.

Design for Use2Use (2019): in this pilot project we engaged with companies that wanted to activate their Use2Use thinking. As part of this work, we conducted pilot workshops with companies to try out our newly developed tools.

A User Perspective on Product Life-Cycles (2016-2019): this research project focused on exploring design implications that results from applying a user-perspective rather than a life-cycle perspective when exploring opportunities to support product circularity. Furthermore, the project aimed to contribute new methods and tools that support designers in developing new products and services fit for circular consumption processes. The project was funded by the Kamprad Family Foundation and carried out in collaboration with Transformator Design and Hultafors Group.

Cirkulera Mera! (2018-2019): this study (Circulate!) aimed to provide insight into what activities and practicalities different circular paths of consumption entail for people in everyday life. The study was carried out in collaboration with Peder Skrivares skola, an upper secondary school in Sweden.

Kravhantering vid framtagning av funktionsprodukter (2006-2007): this research project (Managing requirements when developing functional sales) aimed at investigating fuctional sales from a consumer perspective. Three empirical studies were conducted to gain insight into consumer requirements and consumer acceptance of product-service systems. Findings show that product-service systems affect consumers through practical implications for the activities they engage in. Two factors, “impact on everyday life” and “uncertainties” related to anticipating consequences were repeatedly brought up by participants and highlight the importance of including iterative studies with consumers during development processes.