AWARD YEAR
2023
CATEGORY
Home
GOALS
Responsible Consumption & Production
KEYWORDS
circular design, Repair instead of throwing out, Reuse, responsible consumption, sustainable production and consumption
COUNTRY
Germany
DESIGNED BY
Cathy Wolter
WEBSITE
https://www.cathywolter.com
MEA modern restoration
a furniture concept that makes repairability of furniture accessible to a wider audience.
How does it work?
MEA is a concept idea that stands for reparability. MEA-Chair is an example that corresponds to this idea.
?MEA-Chair is made of solid wood and is easy to repair. Due to detachable screw connections, it can be quickly disassembled and completely refurbished within less than 60 minutes. Individual parts which have been already refurbished several times or are simply broken can be replaced while all others remain in use. Replacing individual parts has in conclusion that the chair’s appearance changes over the years. Every tree trunk looks different and due to climatic changes, we do not know which tree species will settle in the future.When the chair is no longer needed, it can simply be returned. It will be repaired and sold again. This time for less money, as hardly any new resources are used.
MEA makes repairability accessible to a wider audience and allows furniture to remain in an endless cycle.
After the first repair, MEA's life has just begun!
Why is it needed?
While most consumers are now aware of the environmental impact of fast fashion and our plastic consumption, they seem unaware of the consequences of fast furniture. However, furniture is ubiquitous in our daily lives and has a significant impact on the environment.
Cheap and low-quality furniture is in high demand, resulting in 10.5 million tons of furniture being discarded in Europe each year. In Germany, furniture has an average lifespan of 9-10 years. This may seem long, but when we consider that an oak tree, for example, requires 180-300 years to grow for wood consumption, it's essential to keep wood in the cycle for as long as possible.
Our consumption behaviour is damaging forests, which suffer from climatic changes, deforestations, fires, and pests. Even renewable materials like wood are finite if consumed faster than they can grow back.
How does it improve life?
MEA places a strong emphasis on the life of furniture after the sale. Every part can be reworked and sanded down around 3-4 times and extending the life of the furniture tremendously. If something breaks, individual parts can be replaced while all others remain in the cycle. Any type of wood that is suitable for furniture can be used, which allows to utilise the resources that the forests offer at a given time, rather than insisting on a particular type of wood. As a result, MEA undergoes changes in appearance over time.
Due to the quick and effective way of repairing, the option to repair becomes affordable to a wider audience. From the second sale onwards, the piece of furniture becomes even more affordable. The resale price is calculated based on the time of the repair and possible new spare parts, without charging for the already existing parts. This way MEA avoids recalculating resources that are already in circulation.