[CHALLENGE] Open Source Business Model for (a) Circular Washing Machine(s)

What comes to my mind first is: use the OS basic design principles!

  1. modularity= repair, refurbish and upgrade:
    The parts of a washing machine are very different in durability, so usually the hull and drum are still almost new when the electronics are already outdated, the springs loose and the hose dripping.
    As a business model this means: people will buy your machine because they know that one broken part doesn’t mean a new investment, and it will be adaptable to new development later on. Buying your machine is a lifetime investment, you can grow old with what you’re used to and don’t have to relearn all the time.

  2. standardization & open documentation:
    if the parts were more compatible and openly documented, more companies could try to build spare parts. You might even be able to print them yourself or get them from a discarded machine. This would allow for shorter transport routes and encourage local business and reuse.
    As a business model this means: cooperation with local businesses: people will buy your machine when they know that there is a local repairman who can come round any time, and spare parts will be available indefinitely.

  3. flexibility
    if you only lease the machine and it can be refurbished any time, you don’t have to move house with this ultra heavy thing. The machine can become part of the standard equipment of the house, just like the stove is today.
    if the machine is adaptable its programmes and drum can ‘grow’ and ‘shrink’ with the needs of your family, or you just lease a smaller one once the baby stops puking all over you every day.

and of course: create nodes with other industries: can the washing cycle be linked with the circular sanitation challenge?

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