Sustainability is an important topic to consumers and companies alike. We all hate to waste products and materials if they might have a future use. And, yet, it sometimes seems as if certain products are made to deliberately fall apart sooner than we consumers thinks they should. What should a consumer do? Well, one answer is to repurpose the aging item. Case in point: IKEA’s Stockholm carpet.
IKEA continues its efforts to help consumers think of ways to reuse its products (remember the “Big Blue Bag” article we wrote recently?). The latest idea from the company is 18 different ways to turn an old Stockholm carpet into new items, instead of just throwing it out. Some of the creative ideas include:
- Doormat
- Dog blanket
- Shopping bag
- Snowshoes
- Stair carpet
- Punching bag
- Compost insulator
- Scratching post
Think of items in your house. Can they be reused instead of tossed in the trash?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Discuss how companies can take initiatives on recycling and reusing worn items. What are examples that students can think of?
- Show IKEA’s Stockholm blog: https://m2.ikea.com/no/no/ideas/-ebc301c155a511e7b6087300b3bddef9, and play the video.
- What are other products and companies that could use a similar approach to recycle and reuse?
- Divide students into teams. Have each team work on a product that could be reused into a new product.
- Alternative: Bring in old rugs or other products and have each team work on repurposing the item into something new.
Source: Creativity Online
