Integrating food production and waste management for sustainable urban living
A future business for a circular economy

GRAPHIC DESIGN | INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION | MAKING | SPECULATIVE DESIGN | WRITING
Explanation card that accompanies all purchases of the Digester, the Food & Waste Alliance's first product
Explanation card that accompanies all purchases of the Digester, the Food & Waste Alliance's first product
Biology experiment with three bacteria that informed the speculative design of the Digester
Biology experiment with three bacteria that informed the speculative design of the Digester
According to a 2015 study of household waste bins in Scotland, food waste accounts for approximately 29% of the material in waste bins [1] and Scotland only recycles 27% of its food waste properly [1].  The majority of food waste goes to landfills and produces greenhouse gases as it decomposes [2]. 
Scotland's food waste management reflects a global problem: we waste one third of all food produced [3].
For a speculative biodesign project, I imagined the company Food & Waste Alliance (FWA).  In the year 2028, FWA enables a circular food economy with its products and services.  Its products include the Digester, a bacteria-powered waste bin that transforms food waste into fertilizer.  Its services include delivery of customers' excess fertilizer to farmers and delivery of food grown with Digester-produced fertilizer.
Cover page from the FWA product book
Cover page from the FWA product book
About FWA (excerpt from Food & Waste Alliance's product book)
About FWA (excerpt from Food & Waste Alliance's product book)
Overview of FWA products (excerpt from FWA product book)
Overview of FWA products (excerpt from FWA product book)
Digester description (excerpt from FWA product book)
Digester description (excerpt from FWA product book)
Food & Waste Alliance seeds to grow food with Digester-produced fertilizer
Food & Waste Alliance seeds to grow food with Digester-produced fertilizer
Food & Waste Alliance seeds to grow food with Digester-produced fertilizer
Food & Waste Alliance seeds to grow food with Digester-produced fertilizer
Food & Waste Alliance seeds to grow food with Digester-produced fertilizer
Food & Waste Alliance seeds to grow food with Digester-produced fertilizer
Created with Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop, a ducting tube, bacteria, food waste and the Circular Design Guide*
Citations:
1. 5 Key takeaways from the composition of household waste report. (2018, March 19). Retrieved from https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/content/5-key-takeaways-composition-household-waste-report
2. United Nations Environment Programme. (2013, Sept. 11). Food waste harms climate, water, land and biodiversity - new FAO report. Retrieved May 1, 2018, from https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/food-waste-harms-climate-water-land-and-biodiversity-new-fao-report
3. One-third as measured by weight. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2011. Global food losses and food waste--extent, causes and prevention. Rome: UN FAO.
*by IDEO and the MacArthur Foundation

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