E-commerce growth has driven a sharp rise in single-use shipping packaging, especially cardboard boxes. While recyclable, cardboard production and recycling still carry hidden costs in energy, water, and CO2 emissions. Circular Shipping Company (CSC) is developing a Product-Service System that replaces disposable boxes with reusable plastic packaging: consumers select reusable packaging at checkout, then return it to nearby drop-off points for cleaning and reuse. Because the packaging is made from polypropylene (PP), which has higher manufacturing impacts than cardboard, achieving a sufficient number of reuse cycles is essential for the system to provide environmental benefits. Consumer adoption and return behaviour are therefore critical to the system’s success.
This project aimed to redesign CSC’s packaging solution to motivate consumer choice and adoption of this circular return system. By analysing the current system from different perspectives concerning packaging design, stakeholder needs, logistical efficiency, environmental performance and consumer behaviour, key challenges were defined and addressed in the packaging redesign.
The redesign introduced a new folding structure to collapse the packaging for return, surface patterns to conceal visible wear, additional information communicating environmental and social efficacy, and opportunities for retailer customisation. Validation showed that the new folding structure successfully improved portability, while the wear-concealing pattern also reduced the visual impact of surface imperfections. However, participants raised concerns about product protection, particularly when repeated use and the new folding structure affected the perceived robustness of the packaging. Potential improvements and future recommendations are then proposed to tackle the remaining packaging- and system-level challenges. ... Read more

Smartphones have a significant environmental impact: more than 80% of a device's lifecycle emissions occur during manufacturing, yet most phones are replaced every two to three years, far shorter than their technical lifespan. Extending smartphone use, through refurbished phones, repair, and more sustainable purchasing, is one of the most effective ways to reduce this impact. KPN, one of the Netherlands' largest telecom providers, is well positioned to support the shift to more sustainable smartphone purchase. KPN already offers refurbished phones, Fairphone, and a repair service. They aim to double refurbished sales by 2026 as part of their net-zero ambition by 2040. However, their current purchase journey does not support sustainable options: sustainable alternatives are hard to find online, largely absent from in-store displays, and not promoted at the moments when customers are deciding.
This project investigates how KPN can design its smartphone purchase journey to stimulate customers to consider more sustainable choices. Research was conducted through a literature review, competitor analysis, a service safari (in-store observational walkthroughs) across three stores, expert interviews with eight KPN employees, and qualitative interviews with nine KPN customers.
Results reveal that the main barrier is not customer resistance, but structural invisibility. Customers cannot consider options they have never encountered. Once sustainable options are visible, quality doubts become the primary barrier. However, these doubts are not fixed attitudes, they are caused by a lack of information, and can be reduced by providing clear quality and warranty cues. User tests revealed that customers who received clear quality and warranty information in the user test felt confident enough to choose a refurbished phone. KPN's current sales environment reinforces the problem: new device sales dominate both online and in-store, and a tension between sustainability goals and short-term commercial incentives prevents sustainable options from being structurally supported.
Based on these findings, thirteen intervention concepts were developed and prototyped across five phases of KPN's online purchase journey. The strategy encompasses making sustainable options visible by default, building confidence through quality assurance cues, guiding customers towards sustainable alternatives through a choice aid, reducing friction around repair through dedicated service pages, and extending engagement beyond the purchase through reward and community elements.
Three methods were used to evaluate the strategy. A KPN employee evaluation confirmed a strong organisational fit. In the qualitative user test, all nine participants noticed sustainable alternatives on the prototype website, compared with only one participant who noticed them on the current website, and three changed their choice to a refurbished phone. In the synthetic panel across 100 KPN customer personas, consideration shifted from price-only to quality-assured interest, with 76 out of 100 personas identifying the sustainable alternative per device as the most effective intervention. Fairphone consideration did not shift, pointing to a brand awareness gap that requires a cross-platform campaign to increase this, as a precondition before other interventions can have effect.
The primary recommendation is to implement the eight Phase 1 interventions as a coherent set, expand the refurbished catalogue to include newer iPhone models and iPhone Pro models, and launch the Fairphone awareness campaign in parallel. Phase 1 is commercially viable: refurbished phones carry a higher margin than new devices and campaign costs can be shared with Fairphone. This is a concrete, feasible starting point for KPN to move its purchase journey from a new-phone default towards more deliberate consideration of sustainable options. ... Read more

Research on climate change increasingly highlights the importance of consumer behaviour in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, existing studies have mainly focused on either average consumers or the outsized objective environmental impact of high-welfare individuals, offering limited insight into how psychological factors shape pro-environmental behaviour across welfare groups. As a result, the relation between welfare, psychological measures, and pro-environmental behaviour remains insufficiently understood.
This study examines how individuals across welfare groups perceive self-accountability, agency, and efficacy, and how these psychological factors relate to pro-environmental intentions and behaviour across multiple consumption domains. Using a Dutch sample with a wide range of welfare levels, it also analyses how accountability is attributed to different societal actors and how welfare influences psychological predictors of behaviour in domains including fashion consumption, air travel, household heating, meat consumption, and green investment.
The findings show that perceptions of accountability to mitigate GHG emissions are broadly similar across welfare groups, with governments and large corporations seen as most accountable and individuals as least accountable. Welfare had no direct effect on perceived self-accountability, agency, or efficacy. These psychological factors were generally positive predictors of pro-environmental intentions and behaviour across domains. However, their predictive power weakened in specific domains, with the largest intention–behaviour gaps emerging in unbounded, identity-driven domains such as air travel and fashion consumption. Notably, it is also in these same domains that welfare showed significant direct effects on behaviour, with higher-welfare individuals engaging in more environmentally harmful consumption. While psychological measures were largely stable across welfare levels, this pattern suggests that welfare becomes more influential precisely in the domains where psychological factors are least explanatory. Overall, the results indicate that pro-environmental behaviour is shaped by both psychological processes and structural conditions, highlighting the need for integrated approaches that combine behavioural interventions with policies addressing consumption inequalities.
Finally, the findings indicate that climate interventions should focus on reducing the perception–reality gap in environmental impact. This may be achieved by aligning perceptions of “normal” consumption (through improved public information and reduced socio-economic segregation), strengthening carbon literacy (through education, point-of-decision information, and footprint comparison tools), and improving awareness of emission differences across income groups. At the same time, psychological interventions alone are unlikely to be sufficient in domains such as air travel and fashion consumption, where behaviour is strongly shaped by structural conditions. In these domains, policies such as aviation taxes, frequent flyer levies, improved access to low-carbon alternatives, and measures that slow fashion cycles while promoting more pro-environmental and appealing alternatives may be more effective. ... Read more

Wine consumption is an integral element to dutch culture. However, the wine industry contributes substantially to environmental pollution through pesticide use and global distribution chains, with single-use glass bottles representing the largest source of CO₂ emissions. Growing consumer interest in sustainability, combined with the sector’s dependence on favourable climate conditions, has intensified the industries effort to adopt greener practices. The Wine Pack seeks to contribute to this mission by offering high-quality, organic European wines in a bag-in-box format with a significantly lower carbon footprint than glass bottles.
The primary barrier to acceptance is the negative perception of bag-in-box packaging in the Netherlands, which is widely associated with low-quality wine despite its sustainability benefits. This project examined how experience-driven design could improve user interactions with bag-in-box packaging, thereby reshaping consumer perceptions and appealing to young urban professionals, a demographic that values both sustainability and meaningful social experiences.
User-centred research demonstrated that negative perceptions stem not only from product associations but also from awkward interactions in social settings like dinner parties. The act of opening the bag-in-box and pouring the wine to others were identified as critical moments to redesign. Insights suggested that reframing this interaction as a host-led ritual could foster more confidence, control, and connection during dinner parties.
These findings informed the development of an innovative bag-in-box concept with a two-step opening process and enhanced tap design. Prototype evaluations with target users revealed that the continuous, intuitive movements and surprising elements generated positive emotional responses and improved the overall experience. Nevertheless, participants continued to prefer glass bottles for dinner parties, indicating that experiential improvements alone are insufficient to drive acceptance. Additional barriers, including packaging appearance, consumer awareness, and familiarity with the format remain critical challenges.
This thesis concludes that redesigning bag-in-box interactions can meaningfully enhance user experiences that represents an important first step toward acceptance of this packaging format. However, broader efforts and additional research into creating awareness on usability and sustainability advantages and increasing familiarity with the format are essential for bag-in-box to become a credible alternative to glass. Thereby helping the wine industry’s transition toward environmentally responsible consumption. ... Read more

As packaging waste continues to pollute the environment, moving away from single-use packaging is no longer optional but a necessity. Reusable packaging systems (RPSs) have emerged as a promising solution to reduce the waste generated by everyday consumption. Yet, consumer acceptance and long-term adoption remain significant challenges. This dissertation takes a consumer-centred perspective, exploring what motivates and hinders consumers from choosing RPSs over single-use packaging, which strategies can encourage sustained use, and how design can foster future innovation in this field. ... Read more

Consumer repair practices are detrimental to advancing the circular economy since they are a vital strategy for prolonging a product‘s lifetime and saving resources. Despite the need for repair services for a functioning circular economy, the practice of Repair for consumers has declined, and more and more citizens prefer product replacement instead of considering the Repair of consumer goods. Research suggests a general mismatch between consumer needs and repair service offerings. (Gobert et al., 2021). The Municipality of Rotterdam wants to facilitate circular behaviour for its citizens. The Municipality is opening a new recycling center with the adjacent Upcycle Mall. It is envisioned as a place for the citizens of Rotterdam to experience the aspects of a circular economy, including different circular economy practices, such as upcycling, recycling and reuse. Designing a Repair offering at the Upcycle Mall for small household electronics and textiles is the task set out to solve in this project.
The local provision of Repair is analysed and structured into four modes: self-repair, Professional Repair, Community Repair, and Non-Profit Repair. A particular focus was put on the local community repair organisations (Repair Cafes) and their challenges.
A literature review and an interview study on consumer behaviour regarding Repair identify the main barriers consumers face. The unique situation of the Upcycle Mall is analysed, and unique opportunities for interventions are identified.
Based on the research findings, a pivotal concept for the Upcycle Mall is proposed: The RepairHub. This repair center leverages its location to trigger repair actions. It introduces the Community Repair Concept as a center for education and links to and empowers the local Community Repair Organizations.The design proposal consists of eight concepts structured in three groups. Three activities to conduct in the RepairHub were designed:
RepairTogether: A convenient Repair Offer for visitors of the recycling center, to give their device another chance.
Sort & Fix: A center to sort, fix and clean the electric devices brought to the recycling center, to make them ready for resale in local Secondhand Stores.
RepairEducation: A concept to educate school classes on repair practices and include Rotterdams Repair Cafes in the Process
Complementing the RepairHub, a comprehensive signage system is designed to effectively guide people to the RepairHub and promote the local Repair Cafes. This system plays a crucial role in encouraging repair actions and making citizens aware of the local provision of Community Repair organisations. In addition, a website and flyer were created to promote these services further.
This thesis concludes with a set of final recommendations to the Municipality to support the Repair Culture and Provision in Rotterdam.

... Read more

Aalberts Hydronic Flow Control has set the target to reduce their packaging material by 20% in weight by 2025. In this thesis will be looked into, and recommended on this target. In addition to this, the assignment has been established to develop a concept to reduce packaging waste for Aalberts through research on sustainable packaging, providing insights for improving business-to-business sustainable packaging practices.

In 2022, Aalberts Hydronic Flow Control introduced a total of 2739 tons of (registered) packaging to the market. This included 1807 tons of cardboard, 155 tons of plastic, and 777 tons of wooden packaging. The thesis focuses on the product categories PEX pipe, Expansion Vessels, Valves and Fittings that contribute most significant to packaging at Aalberts (54% of total packaging), representing 92 tons of plastic (59.4% of all plastic packaging), 872 tons of cardboard (48.3% of all cardboard packaging) and 520 tons of wood packaging (66.9% of all wood packaging).

Based on, among others, findings from literature research, expert interviews, interviews with Aalberts’ employees, competitor analysis, research into regulations, business economics and market trends, a strategic roadmap is designed showing all recommended actions for
Aalberts to achieve packaging reduction based on three periods:
- The first period (now-2025) is focused on the implementation of most financially appealing packaging changes for Aalberts to reach the target of 20% reduction by 2025. Investments are needed, but are expected to be profitable within 2 years of implementation, leading to
20.7% reduction of all packaging (566 tons).
- The second period (2025-2035) is focused on reducing unnecessary packaging and redesigning packaging for recycled and less material use. In this period investments are needed to reduce packaging, contributing to more packaging reduction at Aalberts, leading
to an accumulative reduction (of period I & II) of 25.8% of all packaging (707 tons).
- The third period (>2035) aims at eliminating single-use packaging through implementing the concept of packaging as a product. This requires further investments and a bigger change in packaging practices than the two periods before, which eliminates single-use packaging
completely, leading to an accumulative reduction (of all periods) of 54.2% reduction of all packaging (1484 tons).

In order to reach the target of 20% reduction by 2025, investment based packaging changes need to be made. Most financially appealing actions that are recommended to be implemented before 2025 are the following:
1. Reduce bag sizes Valves and Fittings by 50%
Reducing unnecessary packaging saves the company material and costs, a win-win scenario for Aalberts. It is advised to start with the reduction of plastic bag sizes for Valves and Fittings (46 tons, 1.7% of all packaging at Aalberts) since this provides the largest
packaging reduction of unnecessary packaging.
2. Reusable pallets PEX pipe
Changing to reusable pallets for PEX pipe provides the largest reduction in packaging material with 520 tons (19% of all packaging at Aalberts). This change does require a one-time investment of €385,000 but saves €200,000 per year on single-use pallets. Therefore return
on investment will be within 2 years. Since the packaging change offers a large reduction (close to the target of 20%) and saves costs in the long term, this action is recommended to be implemented as soon as possible to reach the target before 2025 (together with reducing bag
sizes for Valves and Fittings).

Due to upcoming regulations on packaging, goals of Aalberts and the European Union to become net-zero by 2050, the following new targets are advised:
- Reduce all single-use plastics by 100% by 2040
- Reduce all single-use packaging by 100% by 2050

The new targets could be achieved with the concept presented in the third period of the strategic roadmap: packaging as a product. This concept aims to eliminate single-use packaging completely through redesigning packaging to replace another product by providing packaging
with an additional function. ... Read more

3D printing technology is a rapidly growing field in the context of footwear production, and in combination with computational design and foot scanning tools and algorithms, this allows for a shift from mass production to mass customization of footwear. This thesis considers the design of a new circular product-service system for children’s footwear, with the purpose of extending the benefits of mass customization to the target segment of children up to twelve years old, with their parents as key decision-makers in the footwear selection process. The development of this system also provides new insights for possible business opportunities for 3D printed footwear, and lays out opportunities and challenges around accelerating the shift towards a circular footwear industry.

A central aim of this thesis is to explore what constitutes a perfect fit for children’s footwear, how 3D printed footwear can be used to overcome challenges related to finding a perfect fit, and what retail experience and services need to be provided to create a system that removes barriers and promotes healthy foot development, considering this essential for healthy lifelong mobility. In this thesis, fit is constructed of three elements: physical, identity and social fit. The tensions and relations between these forms of fit are explored and translated into a concept design consisting of three parts: a physical product, an in-store experience, and a mobile service. Together, these deliver a system that aims to remove the need to compromise on aesthetic value or physical fit, put the child at the center of the footwear selection process, and inspire and facilitate more pro-active consumption behavior of children’s footwear. This project involved the creation of various physical and digital prototypes that were used to gain insights on key aspects of the proposed product-service system. Qualitative data resulting from exploratory customer research and user testing of the proposed concept, with parents as end-users, have resulted in a greater understanding of the technical and perceived challenges with regards to the implementation of such a new system for 3D printed children’s footwear.

In addition, this thesis oscillates between two equally critical perspectives: that of the user and that of the system. Technical and perceived tensions between personalized footwear and reuse of pre-owned footwear are revealed, and opportunities for take-back systems and end-of-life solutions are discussed. Furthermore, opportunities for rapid product improvement and more detailed analysis of foot and gait development are explored, as a result of the circularity of the system.

A strategy for market implementation of the proposed product-service system is detailed, highlighting the opportunity to create a system that onboards users of 3D printed footwear from the very first steps, and creating a membership and subscription based approach. Key strategic partners are identified for the realization of the proposed system, addressing complexities of the system, strategic positioning along the product and service supply chain and the need for expertise, specifically in the areas of production and fit measurement. Finally, this research highlights several key areas of interest and opportunities for future research and development.
... Read more

Achieving a sustainable future necessitates a fundamental transition in both consumption and production patterns, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12. The urgency to adapt consumption patterns has grown due to criticisms surrounding the limitations of traditional approaches aimed at decoupling economic growth from energy use. In response, the concept of “sufficiency,” which emphasizes reducing raw material and energy consumption while maintaining quality of life, has emerged as a pivotal component in sustainability discussions.
Within the tourism mobility sector, sufficiency holds particular promise for sustainability, as it encourages behaviors such as shorter travel distances and increased reliance on public transportation. This is especially crucial given that the transport industry significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, with tourism mobility representing a key area for improvement.
This thesis investigates sufficiency and sufficient behaviors within tourism mobility, ultimately leading to the development of a design toolkit aimed at facilitating future projects. The research identifies three types of sufficient tourism mobility—absolute reductions, modal shifts, and sharing practices—alongside associated specific behaviors. A conceptual model integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Norm Activation Model (NAM), and external costs was created to predict these behaviors. Analysis of 191 responses through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that subjective norms and attitudes are significant drivers of sufficient tourism mobility behaviors.
To translate these insights into actionable outcomes, a toolkit was developed through iterative design processes, supported by a co-creation session to identify intervention strategies. This toolkit provides resources for designers and stakeholders to foster sufficient tourism mobility behaviors effectively. While the findings primarily reflect European contexts, they offer a foundation for further exploration of sufficiency in tourism mobility design and may inform similar initiatives in other mobility domains. ... Read more

Our production and consumption patterns of electronic products exceed the limits of what one planet can handle. Prolonging product lifetimes decreases the value losses caused by the destruction of existing products and lowers the amount of e-waste. Repair is an impactful strategy to tackle the issues associated with the production and consumption of electronic products. However, most discarded products are never repaired during their lifetime. Literature proposed several design for repair strategies, predominantly from a technical (engineering) perspective. However, a technically repairable design may not automatically result in repair behavior. Consumers and their behavior play a key role in prolonging the lifetimes of our daily used products.

The objective of this thesis is to explore the role of design in stimulating consumers to extending product lifetimes via repair. A consumer perspective investigates why consumers decide to prematurely replace products and their barriers towards repair. Design and marketing strategies to stimulate repair (e.g., support in failure diagnosis, modularity, and lifetime labels) are identified from literature. The effectiveness, boundaries and the required conditions of these strategies are tested in several empirical studies. They showed that high perceived repair self-efficacy, explicit cues guiding the repair act, and specific information about product’s reliability and upgradeability can increase consumers’ repair intentions.

By adopting a consumer-centric approach, this thesis offers contributions to design research on product lifetime extension and repair. However, creating a repairing society is not solely a consumer’s responsibility. One should realize that product lifetime extension requires a shift in current industry practice and businesses organization, as well as the design of appropriate policies. Therefore, a systemic approach and cooperation between all involved stakeholders is required. Designers, researchers and policymakers can use our insights to stimulate much-needed consumer repair practices of (electronic) products within a circular economy.
... Read more

This research examines the potential for sustainable packaging in the context of supermarket products, focusing on the concepts of reuse and standardisation.

The central question addressed is whether consumers retain positive attitudes towards purchase intention, brand image, perceived quality, aesthetic attractiveness, and perceived environmental friendliness when packaging for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) is standardised to its core function of protection, while marketing elements are transferred to online communication channels. The study uses a wide range of methods, including reading lots of articles, talking to people who know a lot about the topic, analysing data, experiments and in-depth interviews.

The findings reveal positive consumer responses towards the concepts of reuse and standardisation. Although no statistically significant results emerge from the mixed experiment design, the analysis of open-ended questions demonstrates a clear and positive attitude among participants. Consequently, it can be concluded that consumers generally show a favourable and cooperative attitude towards packaging standardisation and reuse, provided that convenience, hygiene and accessibility are prioritised.

This research is of significant relevance due to the substantial volume of plastic waste generated by packaging, evolving legislative frameworks, and the urgent need for environmental changes. It emphasises the necessity for proactive changes and innovative approaches to address sustainability challenges in the packaging industry. By shedding light on consumer perceptions and preferences, this study offers valuable insights for businesses and policymakers seeking to navigate the transition towards more sustainable packaging practices. ... Read more

Food packaging serves many functions, from product protection to extending product shelf life to enabling convenient or effective usage (i.e., portability, resealability) to communicating relevant information or brand image to consumers. However, packaging has various negative impacts on the environment throughout its life cycle. While consumers are aware of the detrimental environmental impact of packaging, there is a mismatch between consumers’ perception of packaging sustainability and the scientifically-measured impact (Otto et al., 2021). This thesis explored the intersection of the consumer, governmental, and scientific perspectives on packaging sustainability, while also balancing other important aspects (i.e., quality perception, feasibility, etc.) to realise a holistically sustainable packaging strategy.
The client company for this project was Enrico Food, the brand owner of Bertolli. Bertolli is a key player in the Mediterranean foods category in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. This project aimed to contribute to two of Enrico’s business objectives: a successful launch of the Bertolli pasta sauce product line in the UK and improving the environmental sustainability of the pasta sauce packaging. This thesis resulted in a suitable sustainability strategy and holistically sustainable packaging concepts for the UK launch and beyond.
First, background research into the system surrounding (Bertolli’s) food packaging was conducted via stakeholder interviews and desk research. Literature research into sustainable packaging design strategies, consumer behaviour, and brand sustainability strategy was carried out. A framework integrating various stakeholders’ perspectives was developed to aid in the creation of a suitable and meaningful sustainability strategy for Bertolli. Various tools and methods identified in the literature review were employed to evaluate the current packaging formats and develop new packaging concepts. The strategy and concepts were refined based on internal and external stakeholder feedback, expert feedback, and consumer studies.
This process resulted in the proposal of a comprehensive sustainability strategy that addresses relevant material issues in an authentic way. Concerning packaging design, a revamped design of Bertolli’s pouch pack format was proposed. The pouch was identified as the most suitable pack format for Bertolli to focus its efforts on in the short-term and medium-term due to its current and forecasted environmental performance, ease of implementation, and high consumer acceptance. Various sustainability cues (i.e., naturalistic graphic design style, claims, and sustainability information) were embedded to improve consumer sustainability perception. For the long-term time horizon, two main strategies were proposed: direct-to-consumer models and reusable packaging models. Roadmaps were developed to guide Bertolli in implementing the proposed sustainability strategy and packaging sustainability improvements.
This thesis provides insights into sustainability strategy development, UK consumers’ packaging preferences, and techniques to design and evaluate sustainable packaging concepts. ... Read more

Kinderfaculteit Pendrecht, one of the programs of Stichting de Verre Bergen, offers children in Pendrecht the opportunity to spend their time in a useful way through after-school lessons. The Kinderfaculteit’s vision is to stimulate curiosity and perseverance among the children. As this vision is not yet integrated into their working method, the research team of Stichting de Verre Bergen is researching techniques to stimulate curiosity and perseverance. The aim of this graduation project is to integrate the core concepts of curiosity and perseverance within the Kinderfaculteit, using a design approach.

The project utilizes the Double Diamond structure (Framework for Innovation: Design Council’s Evolved Double Diamond, 2022). Since this graduation project is a social design project, various methods involving stakeholders are utilized, including semi-structured interviews, observations, and co-creation sessions.

In order to integrate curiosity and perseverance into the working method of the Kinderfaculteit, a roadmap is designed as a means to achieve this goal. Additionally, three concepts are designed to make each phase of the roadmap more tangible, while also serving as inspiration and potential starting points for the Kinderfaculteit. The roadmap and concepts are further explained in a booklet, which is delivered to the Kinderfaculteit as a final outcome. The resulting design is validated with one of the project managers of the Kinderfaculteit, yielding encouraging results since she is planning to incorporate the final design during the implementation of the core concepts. To enhance the feasibility of the design, suggestions are made to complement the roadmap and concepts.

This project demonstrates that taking a design approach to stimulate specific behaviours within an organization, like the Kinderfaculteit, provides insights into the various touchpoints that can influence the stimulation of curiosity and perseverance. Learning specific behaviours involve numerous different variables beyond an individual (such as these touchpoints), which can be difficult to determine using conventional, analytical research methods. Given the predominant focus on individual-level research on learning these behaviours, the importance of investigating the stimulation of behaviours like curiosity and perseverance on an organizational and/or group level is emphasized, rather than solely at the individual level. ... Read more

New studies state that climate change is projected to harm snow reliability in ski resorts, resulting in shorter ski seasons, increased snowmaking demand and low-lying ski areas may cease to exist. Open Wear is a sustainable outerwear brand that uses sustainable materials and ethical production to produce clothing from 100% recycled plastic. The brand promotes sustainability in the winter sports industry but acknowledges the potential impact of climate change on the industry and its existence. The report discusses the potential changes in the winter sports industry due to ecological changes, economic interests, human experiences, and cultural values. By creating a worldview of winter sports in 2040 and designing a concept product there has been explored how the brand can innovate in this changing world. The ‘Vision in Product’ method has been used, which focuses on the ‘raison d’etre’ and uses a worldview created from various context factors such as trends, developments, and principles to design a future vision. The company’s strengths, weaknesses and potential opportunities have been analyzed, stating that especially the Open Wear community can be a great asset in the future. Literature research indicates that winter sports can still be practiced for decades to come, but low ski areas or ski areas with unfavorable locations in terms of snowfall will have to deal with less snow in the coming years. The amount of snow-reliable days seem to be decreasing exponentially. To understand the impact of these and other factors on the worldview of 2040, driving forces have been created by forming clusters of these factors. A prediction has been made about what the world will look like in 20 years. Open Wear wants to encourage environmentally conscious people to moderate their ski behavior and to keep enjoying their outdoor escapes. They can do this by making multi-sport vacations more accessible by designing clothing that is created around conditions instead of sports. A digital platform for collaboratively creating future-proof products has been designed to switch from winter clothing to multi-sport clothing. In this way, Open Wear can motivate people to continue to enjoy their outdoor escapes sustainably, without being dependent on a changing climate. ... Read more

In a matter of decades, information technologies have become omni-present in the lives of more than a billion people. Whilst holding many promises for more efficient and therefore seemingly more sustainable practices, this fast-growing industry is expanding its footprint rapidly. Exponential advancements in hardware and software are kept in check by a quickly rising demand for data-driven products and services. With a climate and energy crisis on our hands, now is the time to ask ourselves whether this superfluous consumption of data is really necessary. By investigating the workings of the physical network and the interaction between humans and digital products, an inquiry is made into changing consumer behaviour to benefit sustainability. The resulting design demonstrates how a different approach to the way we interact with the digital world can facilitate new practices that are sustainable in the broadest sense of the word. By actively reflecting on their online behaviour, internet users are enabled to fulfil personal values that benefit people and climate.

Research
The inquiry into the various stakeholders related to data consumption depicts an infinitely complex network with various players. Together they share a responsibility to for the social impact that the internet has on our society but in the current situation these individual parties mainly act out of self-interest. Digital services providers and their users behave in immoral and unethical ways to satisfy immediate cravings which stands in the way of fulfilling social values. All stakeholders are put under enormous stress by this fast consumption pattern which the project categorises as somewhat uncivilized. This uncivilized behaviour is further defined in three ‘pillars’ that lie at the root of the current value conflicts.
Norms & regulation
Perverse pleasure seeking, deceptive technologies and social misbehavior threaten the individual on the web. 
Moderation & modestyConstant distractions and the acceleration at which we increase productivity lead to an overload of information that humans are not capable of handling.
Active involvementThe lack of physicality of data infrastructure combined with a generally apathetic mindset leads to a loss of autonomy and control.

Design
From experiments with possible interventions it is concluded that to start making a change towards a more civilized behaviour, data consumption needs to be made more concrete in a way that facilitates debate about the topic. A final concept is proposed that embodies this philosophy by encouraging KPN customers to start caring about the impact of data consumption on themselves, their close peers and the environment. It does so through the following set of criteria:
1.Installing awareness about data usage by educating and framing
2.Eliciting a social frame of reference for internet users to adhere to
3.Helping consumers commit to purposeful decisions
4.Affording inconvenience when users want to engage in meaningless behaviour
5.Materialising the benefits of data reduction
6.Making low data use standard in daily practices
Besides this intervention targeted at consumers, the design and research also hold various implications for the other stakeholders within the project context.
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Scientists have been warning for years about the consequences of the current take-make-waste system, and incremental change is needed to enable the environment to regenerate and move towards a sustainable society. Especially electronic waste (e-waste), which currently increases three times faster than regular waste and is hard to collect and recycle (The World Bank, 2021), is an increasing concern and an opportunity for improvement. In this project, the problem of premature obsolescence is addressed. The project investigates how to increase the lifetime of electronic consumer durables. By fully understanding how the consumers make replacement decisions, the decisions people make can be influenced. It turns out that as a product moves towards the expected lifetime, the perceived value of the product goes down, and the consumer is less likely to take care of the product or repair it when it breaks. Consequently, this project investigates how to increase the expected lifetime of products. This contributes to the Premature Obsolescence Multistakeholder Product Testing Program (PROMPT). PROMPT is working on a test program to assess the lifetime of products from a technical, user, and market perspective. The formulated assignment is to generate design guidelines that help to improve the expected product lifetime and illustrate this on a case example. The products that will be investigated are washing machines, televisions, vacuum cleaners, and smartphones. Two studies were performed. One qualitative study to get more insights in an explorative way, and a quantitative study to measure the most effective way to increase the expected lifetime. From the first study, it was concluded that people determine the expected lifetime at several moments throughout the lifetime of the product. Also, past experiences with the product, the average lifetime, the amount of warranty and expected change in demographics are factors that were considered by the participants while determining the expected lifetime of their products. Also, it was concluded that many people are not aware of their expectations of the (expected) lifetime of products, and therefore creating more awareness could lead to increased lifetime of products. In the quantitative study, only vacuum cleaners were studied. It turned out that warranty and the availability of spare parts are the most effective strategies to increase the expected lifetime of vacuum cleaners. However, the strategies build upon each other while increasing the expected lifetime. Therefore, to address all consumers, more strategies should be integrated in a product for the optimal result. The findings from this study can be used by PROMPT as a starting point for testing criteria. For example, criteria about the attempts of companies to increase the expected lifetime of products could be integrating in the testing program. However, before doing this, more research is needed about the influencing factors of the expected lifetime of products. ... Read more

Consumers’ awareness of environmental issues has increased over the years, resulting in a higher demand of pro-environmental product alternatives. The abundance of ocean plastic waste and the societal pressure for Europe to manage its plastic recycling system creates an opportunity for designing recycled ocean plastic products. Therefore, using ocean plastic for new product development should be encouraged. In general people have a strong positive attitude towards recycling and ocean plastic products. Cleaning up the oceans is considered a must and giving retrieved ocean plastic new purpose is beneficial. However, people currently still feel somewhat confused in how to behave more pro-environmental due to a lack of ease and lack of knowledge. Also they are not quite able to distinguish recycled products from other (non-recycled) products. In addition, they have reservations towards ocean plastic products which make to direct personal contact and therefore prefer to be made aware of the fact that a product is made from ocean plastic during purchase. Nevertheless people have faith in the future potential of ocean plastics. People especially like products made from ocean plastic that are easy accessible, produced in large scale, approachable and long lasting. The most suitable product categories to fulfil all these wishes are packaging and furniture. Through examination of the two different product categories it is possible to make more generalised design assumptions for ocean plastic products in order to be adopted by consumers more easily. This is valuable for promoting large scale implementations of ocean plastic products. The products representing these two product categories as used in this research are a bottle of dishwashing liquid and a chair. In order to find out how to design these types of products, information has been gathered regarding the importance of different design elements of ocean plastic products. Highly ranked design elements for ocean plastic products are the shape typicality and the recognisability of an oceanic pattern/texture. Four design alternatives have been created per product in order to test the effects of these design elements. The bottles and chairs were either typically shaped or atypically shaped, and either had an oceanic pattern or did not have an oceanic pattern. The visual appearance of products can evoke different responses. These responses have been analysed for ocean plastic products. It can generally be concluded that triggering a stronger ocean plastic perception through appearance elements proves to be successful. It is possible to communicate the presence of ocean plastic through design elements effectively. Products with an ocean plastic pattern/texture evoke more oceanic feelings and are found attractive. Since attractiveness is correlated with purchase intention, ocean plastic products with (specific) patterns/textures are likely to be bought more frequent. In addition, typical products evoke a higher purchase intention than atypical products. People currently feel more positive about buying less durable products from ocean plastic which increases the purchase intention for these less durable products. The perceived lifespan of durable products can be positively affected by adding oceanic patterns/textures. Since attractiveness is considered less important for durable products, this increased durability perception could have a positive effect on the purchase intention of such products. ... Read more

Packaging made from renewable sources has become more important in our society every day. Bio-based packaging is a sustainable alternative to petrochemical plastic packaging since it reduces the dependency on fossil fuel resources and lowers CO2 emissions. Tetra Pak has recently introduced the bio-based package in the market. Tetra Pak’s bio-based packaging uses wood to produce the carton and sugarcane to produce the plastic coatings of the package and the cap. However, they want to know consumers’ opinions about bio-based packaging, and how to best communicate this concept on drinks packaging. This graduation research project shows the results of two studies carried out in the Netherlands on beverage cartons with bio-based plastic. The first study is based on a qualitative approach which discusses consumers’ preconceptions and perceptions on beverage cartons with bio-based plastic. A second study is an experimental approach which tests what kind of informational cues (logos, infographics, and storytelling) better represent the concept in terms of clarity, understanding, and attractiveness on the package. It was identified in this project that consumers lack knowledge in sustainable packaging alternatives, especially bio-based packaging. Most of the consumers find the bio-based term confusing and abstract. However, in this study consumers have shown their willingness to contribute to the environmental impact and willingness to purchase bio-based packaging alternatives once they understand the concept. Finally, this project offers theoretical and practical implications for the company Tetra Pak. To have a clear understanding of what the concept is, words that consumers can easily understand should be used to describe the bio-based concept such as plant-based package or package made of renewable resources. In addition, information displayed on the package should emphasize the amount of bio-based material used on the package to enhance consumers’ trust in the brand. Lastly, the correct disposal of the package should be emphasized to consumers to avoid confusions. ... Read more

The goal of this graduation project is to know what the brand Mooie Boules is about and how this brand can be made stronger. This is done by concretizing the positioning of the company and how it could communicate according to this positioning. Mooie Boules is a five year old start-up, which organizes boules events and ran a pop-up bar for young people. With the desire to grow and to create multiple permanent bars throughout The Netherlands, all relevant aspects have to be made clear for being able to create a strong brand. While analyzing the company, aspects like the core values, mission and vision of the company have been defined with the team, which capture the essence of the brand. The competitors can be divided into (1) boules, (2) leisure and (3) boules & leisure. During the consumer/customer research the target group was found to be ‘bon vivants’: people who enjoy sensuous pleasures in life, such as food and drinks. The customers of Mooie Boules can be divided into four segments, which are divided by the amount of focus on boules and their visiting behaviour at Mooie Boules. These four are: the boules lover, the community friend, the day visitor and the experience seeker. Personas have been made which show what what the needs of these customer segments are. Regarding companies, which is an additional target group for the company outings at Mooie Boules, the company should focus on the already existing concept, but can adjust its offers to what the company in question wants. As a result of the total analysis, the positioning and the proposition of Mooie Boules have been defined. The positioning is: “Mooie Boules is the French originated all-in-one leisure brand for bon vivants, which enables them to enjoy their life with others. It does so by providing boules, parties, drinks and food at central places in cities.” By using the Brand Resonance Model it can be concluded that improving the brand imagery and matching the judgments and feelings with the communication, can make the brand stronger. By creating design guidance, the former research can be put into practice. This design guidance is then applied in a brand book, which consists of three parts: an explanation of the brand, the communication guidelines and a few examples of the application of these guidelines. To apply more detail on using the design guidance and to create a specified touchpoint, a website is created. It is a one-page website, with the goal to briefly explain Mooie Boules and its activities. Within the website, the upcoming food hall is explained, the different activities are illustrated and the current activities are shown. ... Read more

This report is the result of a graduation project at the TU Delft, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. The assignment was commissioned by Eneco Group, with the aim to increase the adoption of the electric car among private consumers.

Problem definition
Over past decades, the electric car has received an increasing amount of interest. Especially for environmental reasons, the electric car is considered a promising alternative for the conventional fuel car. Currently, business consumers are the main users of the electric car. However, with the advantages of the electric car becoming clearer, the adoption among consumers is predicted to rise. Eneco E-Mobility has chosen to invest in electric mobility and has developed into a significant party in the market of electric car charge services. Eneco E-Mobility wants to prepare for the upcoming consumer market by creating user centered services that stimulate adoption of the electric car. This is the origin of this graduation project. The aim is to help Eneco to get an understanding of the consumer perspective on electric cars and to develop a service that stimulates adoption among private consumers.

To do so, the project was divided in three stages. The first stage gave insight in the challenges of the electric car market, consisting of a company analysis, a market analysis, a trend analysis and extensive qualitative consumer research. In the second stage, the insights of the first stage were combined into a design direction. The third and last phase developed the design further, presenting the service in form and function, with distribution channels, a business model and a promotion strategy. Below, the results are summarised.

Vision on solution
The first part of the design brief was an understanding of the consumer needs. Interviews with eleven potential consumers led to the development of three Purchase Drivers: profiles that represent the main purchase motivators for electric cars among consumers. The prominent reasons can be divided in three categories: environmental, financial and technological. The Purchase Drivers show the relationship between the reason to purchase an electric car and additional services consumers would be interested in. Accordingly, the Drivers summarise the most important consumer needs in a comprehensive manner, giving Eneco E-Mobility the understanding they wished for. The Drivers can be directly applied in product development and marketing communication: they should all be considered to make sure the widest range of consumers is addressed. With the Purchase Drivers, Eneco can make sure their offer is relevant and fits the prominent motives of their consumers.

Apart from the understanding of consumer needs presented in the Drivers, the research shows that two main issues play a role in the consideration for an electric car. One: consumers fear the range is not enough to let them enjoy their car as they are used to. Two: consumers see potential advantages the electric car may have, the environmental, financial and technical factors that were presented in the Purchase Drivers, but there is no way to specify the extent of these benefits for their situation. The available information on electric car purchase remains very general, leaving consumers unaware of the exact financial, environmental or technological gain. The combination of the unknown impact of the range and the haziness of the benefits impedes the purchase decision of the consumers. It makes them stick to the familiar fuel-powered car. The two factors are both linked to the compatibility of the electric car: the extent to which consumers can estimate what an electric car means for their life. Roger’s theory states an improvement in compatibility significantly stimulates adoption of an innovation, in this case, electric cars (Rogers, 2010). A focus on those issues is also perfectly in line with the strategy of Eneco E-Mobility, that searches the answer to needs of consumers.
Thus, to accelerate the adoption of electric cars, the emerging market needs a powerful tool that helps consumers to assess the effect of the range on their mobility and the extent of the sustainability and cost gains. These consumers can be found where they already inform themselves on electric cars: car dealers and lease companies. Altogether, the design direction is formulated in the following positioning statement:

Eneco E-Mobility will offer a transparent pre-sale tool that gives a personal overview of the benefits and costs of the electric car for their lease and car dealing partners. To do so, the service analyses the car use of the consumer to give insight in nearby charge facilities and the impact of the range on their mobility. Simultaneously, the service provides an overview of the savings in costs and for the environment and a sneak peek at future innovations.

Solution
The service materializes in an online platform called EV Inzicht (see Figure 1). Consumers insert information about their car and car use: type of ownership, distances they drive, et cetera. This data is then processed to a personal overview specifying the impact of an electric car for four topics: impact, finances, sustainability and technology. The impact shows the implications of the electric car for the routes of the consumer, with the effect on travel time and the location of chargers. The financial overview presents a breakeven point and return on investment (see Figure 2). The environmental overview determines CO2 emission savings and lastly, the technologic overview presents innovations Eneco works on. Al together, this overview specifies the costs and benefits of the electric car for the consumer’s personal situation. This enables a balanced decision that fits their personal motives. The tool is honest by using data from practice, like the actual range, and transparent by citing sources for the information.
EV Inzicht answers perfectly to the request of Eneco E-Mobility. It enables them to improve the information flow towards the consumer, emphasizing the benefits of the electric car. The consumer oriented strategy is continued by the incorporation of the Purchase Drivers, addressing the most important consumer needs. The service gives Eneco E-Mobility the opportunity to collect data about their potential consumer base, enabling tailored marketing campaigns. Since a collaboration with the distribution channels is already in place, it allows Eneco E-Mobility to strengthen the relationship with their partners, showing that electric car sales are considered a mutual responsibility. A close relationship with their partners fortifies Eneco’s market position relative to competitors. Simultaneously, the business model makes sure that EV Inzicht either leads to increased profit from the sale to the partners or from new leads for charge station installation. Most importantly, EV Inzicht promotes electric driving, accelerating the adoption of the electric car and thereby enlarging the potential consumer base of Eneco E-Mobility.

In conclusion, the Purchase Drivers provide an understanding of the relation between purchase motivation and consumer needs. The Drivers help Eneco E-Mobility to address the motives of the widest consumer base, ensuring relevance of their offer. The developed service, EV Inzicht, simplifies the purchase process of the electric car, aiding consumers’ purchase decision with the incorporation of individual needs. This stimulates the sale of the electric car, enlarging Eneco E-Mobility’s consumer base and boosting their sales. ... Read more