KARDEN

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karden

Composting Bin

2019

Design according to IKEA’s philosophy of Democratic Design

Democratic Design creates a beautiful form and function for easier everyday life. It is a quality product that lasts. It thinks of the future and favours sustainability by using materials that are renewable, recyclable and reusable. And it has a low price for the many people to afford.

KARDEN Introduction

To reduce food waste, gardening and composting should come hand in hand. However, in Singapore, this is not a culture we practice. Singapore does engage in gardening activities and yet do not engage in composting. Why is that?

There is an assumption that gardening in Singapore is only conducted outside homes. However, for Millennials and Gen Zs, the bulk of the future generation, gardening is not done outside their homes but in their workspaces. Due to their lack of time, they prefer to engage in container gardening, which requires less time and effort. In fact, it has become a trend to own small plants in the work environment yet these individuals do not engage in composting due to the misconception that composting requires a lot of space and their lack of know-how. However, the workspace can actually provide the essential elements of a compost which can be created in a space efficient way. Workspace food waste such as coffee grounds, tea leaves and leftover salads are compostable and can feed a compost alongside dry materials, such as newspapers.

Karden is a starter kit designed to seize this opportunity of workspace composting by allowing users to assemble a compost pile easily and in a space efficient manner. While enriching their gardening experience, users will make a conscious decision to reduce food waste starting from the work environment. With this starter kit, individuals will learn the basics of composting and how accessible it can be, encouraging them to adopt the compost culture in their households.

Thus, by starting with the future generation, Karden can inculcate a compost culture from their individual workspaces, into their households and ultimately, the community.

International Design Awards 2019

Design for Society - Honorable Mention

Featured on Yanko Design

'Zero waste living is easy with these products designed for the conscious customers!' by Srishti Mitra
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Green Designs For Isola written by Greendesigns_

HAY！YoungBirds！Talent Award Asia 2020
Top 100 Shortlisted Winners (711 Entries)

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This sustainable set-up provides users with the opportunity to reduce food waste in their daily routine and experience the simplicity of composting, enriching the growing trend of container gardening.

design process

"How could we facilitate the process of compact composting more efficiently?"

observations & insights