Ed van Hinte – författare

Products that Last starts where most books on product development end. This new edition contains new examples and insights from recent publications. From the perspective of designers and entrepreneurs, once a product has been designed, produced and sold, it disappears beyond the newness horizon. They are little aware of the opportunities that exist in the next product universe, where money is made from products in use, as well as from a product’s afterlife. These opportunities clearly exist, otherwise they would not be providing an income for so many people. However, to be recognized as segments of a circle of continuous value creation, they need reframing.The book offers readers an innovative and practical methodology to unravel a product’s afterlife and systematically evaluate it for new opportunities. It introduces business models that enable us to benefit from the opportunities offered by a much longer product life. Products that Last changes the way designers and entrepreneurs develop and exploit goods, helping reduce material and energy consumption over time. Nothing more, nothing less.

A large part of our current linear economy consists of fast-moving consumer goods. After a short usage period the product becomes waste, which ends up in a waste treatment plant for recycling or incineration or, unfortunately, leaks into the environment on landfills or as plastic soup.Should we stop consuming these products? Can we live without packaging, consumables and fashion? We could do without them, but sometimes we do need packaging to protect a product and to prevent food waste.In order to stop producing more waste we need to rethink our approach to those consumables. We need a more circular approach, starting at the beginning of production and consumption: the design. Through circular business models and design strategies Products that Flow demonstrates how end-of-life products can become a resource for new ones instead of becoming waste. The book describes circular business models and design strategies to inspire designers, marketeers and business developers.