RI Columns Chapter 4

5 years ago I came across a start-up company called Puralytics. They created a plastic bag that not only filters, but also purifies water. By that time they were just a small garage company, but today they are a big company that creates mainly water purification systems. So how does it work? You fill a SolarBag with 3.5 liters of water from any source. This can be from rivers, ponds or ground…

A frugal mindset can be seen as an important asset when approaching innovation. Frugal innovation, with its ‘strip down to the basics’ principle brought us mass-produced-everything, such as cars, food, mobile phones and most other physical objects we interact with. Have a look around yourself and see if you can spot something that has not been mass-produced – and how much of your furniture is…

W e throw things away like it’s nothing. We all recognize we throw food away when we are full.  Can you even imagine that every year, consumers in industrialized countries waste 220 million tons a year, while the net food production of the sub-Saharan Africa is 230 million tons (UNEP, 2015)? This happens not only with our food, the same happens with materials. Doesn’t it sounds like a good idea…

Frugal innovation, an unexploited mine Frugal innovations aims at the bottom of the pyramid   (BoP), underpriveliged people with an average spending of costs   . In other words: stripped   down to the essential parts,   leaving the luxury behind. There   are two types of frugal innovations: -          The existing technical product, stripped down to the basics so it is affordable for the BoP  …

During the Imperialism which started around 1700 the European country´s went off to discover the unknown. When they found the unknown and they found it to be different than Europe they decided to “help” and make it a better place. At least that is what the official purpose of missionary work in third world countries was about. What they actually did was conquering countries violently and rip the…

We are all consumers. From billionaires to bums and everyone in between. We all have needs, we all have desires. Whether it is a private plane or a sufficient meal, we all consume. This provides chances for producing companies, from goldsmith to grocer. In innovation there is a part of innovation that focusses specifically on the people that are not all that wealthy. Frugal innovations are…

The Jaipur foot is an example of an extremely successful frugal innovation. The prosthetic leg is developed for people with below-knee amputation in 1968 and has over 1.3 million beneficiaries. The prosthesis costs 45 dollars to make and is provided totally free of charge.  

Joylent the European alternative for the American Soylent, which is a meal replacing beverage available in liquid and powder form. The drink is created by a software engineer who was fed up with the time, effort and money his meals were demanding. By testing on himself he developed the drink which will provide you will all the nutrition you need during your day to day life. At first glance this…

Based on traditional business model especially American, they think bigger is better to produce new products due to consumerism ideology. However this approach does not work anymore for two reasons. First American and also European people are not willing to spend money on costly products or over-developed products. Second natural resources such as oil, minerals, water and trees are running out…

Bringing back the individual by bringing 3D-printing to everyone 3D printing is one of the most encompassing innovations of the present world. While it has been around for quite a long time, it is only recently that buying a 3D-printer has become more attractive for regular consumers. It is not yet at the level that the “average Joe” can and will buy a printer. This will not be the case in the…

Supermarkets are parts of our daily lives; we all visit them multiple times a week, sometimes every day. Buying fruits, yoghurt, meats and fish, anything we crave we can find in the aisle s and aisles of packaged produce. Now take a step back and notice the word “packaged”. Do we realize that every time we buy something from the supermarket, that same pack of yoghurt or can of tuna, creates waste.