What fundamental problem are you addressing?
In May 2024, vast quantities of as-new shelving and other office furniture were disposed of outside a Zurich university because no one knew how to organize or coordinate their transfer. This is exactly what is happening, only on a larger scale, to all companies that no longer need a considerable amount of their office materials and infrastructure equipment since coronavirus and the introduction of home offices. Or schools that are constantly replacing their furniture. However, these institutions currently lack a way to keep these items in circulation in an uncomplicated and effective way.
Cities such as Zurich or individual institutions such as the ZHdK are increasingly developing offers that promote the non-commercial passing on of items(1). On a small scale, associations and private individuals are also increasingly creating sharing offers such as bookcases and exchange niches (2). However, there is still no concept for systematizing circular offers and strengthening them in the digital space. As a result, only a few actors, whether private or institutional, actually take advantage of the opportunity to share / pass on and the existing offers only take place in a niche.
We know first-hand from Nicolas Esseiva (Circular Economy Coordinator, ERZ) and Adrian Brazerol (ZHdK, workshop management) that there is demand for a digital support concept and that there is a great willingness to test it on their own services. The ERZ is currently creating a wide range of services with the exchange trailer at the Cargotram, the handover zones in the recycling centers and the planned Josy area with a handover zone. The ZHdK has had supervised circulation zones since 2023, offering everything from household items to textiles, workshop materials and electrical goods. However, neither organization has the capacity to collect these items in a meaningful way, to make the offer widely available and thus accessible to everyone.
This is where we come in. The digital potential for non-commercial distribution is huge. Our project makes it possible to strengthen the existing pass-on zones and at the same time make it easy for institutions and individuals to pass on used items and effectively avoid new purchases. During the pilot, we set the following priorities to get closer to this goal:
1st priority: testing the concept with two existing circulation zones and recycling centers
2nd priority: Building a community of interested parties and donors
3rd priority: Search for further partnerships and collaborations
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1st priority: testing the concept with two existing circulation zones and recycling centers
In the existing handover zones, interested people can currently only see which items are handed in every day on site without the digital connection. With the digital connection, it will also be possible to view and search for items from home. We are convinced that easy accessibility will motivate more people to pass on or take things (3). By seeing what resources are available, they are more likely to participate in the sharing zone, which increases the reuse rate and avoids waste.
We are testing these assumptions together with the existing reuse zones of the City of Zurich and the ZHdK. In concrete terms, this will look like this: In the two pass-on zones, a QR code will refer to our tool. In this tool, users can share a photo with a description of the objects they have brought with them and make them accessible to others. In order to also offer an option for people without a phone, an installation will be installed on site that uploads a photo (with an AI-generated description) to the tool at the touch of a button.
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2nd priority: Building a community of interested parties and donors
Instead of only depositing objects in the sharing zones, users can also post objects online from home. After uploading photos and descriptions, they can exchange them directly with other neighbors in the tool. This option significantly increases the volume of objects, as the hurdle of having to bring an object to a location can be overcome, thereby increasing convenience. In addition, the distances are shorter, which avoids further emissions. Passing on items at the front door not only establishes new contacts in the neighborhood, but also opens up new perspectives in the district. It also involves people who are unable to take part in the analog offer due to a lack of mobility and still have something to give away.
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3rd priority: Search for further partnerships and collaborations
By piloting the project with the City of Zurich and the ZHdK and building up a sharing-friendly community in parallel, we hope to generate interest in the project among other potential partners and convince them of the simplicity and effectiveness of the sharing economy.
In a nutshell: The online offer supports the analog sharing zone in the following ways:
- Strengthening and connecting existing initiatives
- Maximizing the sharing potential of existing offers
- Low-threshold accessibility and thus more sharers
- Greater inclusion of a larger part of the urban population
- Detailed documentation of the objects
- Greater social component
Which habits would you like to change or mainstream through which approach?
The two currently prevailing patterns of behaviour (disposing of unused items / buying new ones) are highly optimized and very convenient. The more sustainable, circular solutions urgently need to catch up here. This is where we come in with our tool. By linking digital and analog solutions and thus creating mutual synergies, convenience is also increased for pass-on offers.
- Anyone who needs an item should automatically use circular offers first instead of buying a new product
- Re-gifting should become the new norm for functional items that are no longer needed.
Another key target group of the project are organizations and institutions that have enormous potential but are currently unable to make full use of it or can only make it accessible to a small group. Our tool will enable them to make the objects on offer accessible to a broad section of the population in a simple and quick way and thus increase their return to the cycle.
What would you like to work on during the booster?
Our aim is to network existing pass-on offers, increase their reach and make it easier to give them away. In addition, we want to develop a sustainable business model so that we can also work sustainably internally.
Roadmap: The two pilot locations ZHdK (circulation zones) and ERZ (Cargotram and Josy Areal) will be tested simultaneously.
1st and 2nd month: Test without digital connection. Recording of objects, but no sharing on the platform. At the same time, our volunteer team is starting to integrate new digital functions (1-click listing, upload for others, profile functions). Specifically, the focus here is on recording the status quo so that we also have a comparative value afterwards.
Month 3 and 4: Test mainstreaming test with digital connection. Recording the objects in real time in the tool. At the same time, our volunteer team focuses on developing a scalable tool with the help of the partner institutions ZHdK and ERZ.
Month 3 to 5: While the installations continue, part of the team can put their energy into developing a climate-friendly business model. This is the only way the tool can remain in use in the long term and encourage other organizations to join in.
Month 6: The final month is used to evaluate and further develop the collaborations, the installations and the tool. It concludes with an event to which all participants are invited.