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The contemporary domestic fridge is a vital component to the conventional modern kitchen, however as identified in my masters level thesis, products such as the fridge are unsustainable, and become conduits to unsustainable consumer behaviour.

 

The fridge is intended to keep food preserved until the user is ready to consume it. Contrary to its purpose, the design does not properly cater to fresh produce’s preservation requirements such as temperature or proper ventilation. In fact the contemporary fridge is often far too cold for the optimal preservation of produce.

 

The sheer volume of the fridge encourages energy waste  as well as food waste since food is often lost or forgotten, and consequentially, wasted. The combination of these issues encourages unsustainable repetitive consumer behaviour, which is a habit of waste that the user becomes unable to break from.

Sustainable Refrigeration

The product: 

The KeepCOOL is a new innovative sustainable consumer product designed to keep fresh fruit and vegetables preserved unlike traditional refrigeration methods. It provides storage compartments that target the temperature in-between what the fridge offers and ambient room temperature. It is designed to help shift from a large high energy-demanding fridge to a smaller more energy efficient fridge for meats and some dairy, if necessary. Within this shift to a smaller meat storage compartment, the user is encouraged to reduce their unsustainable meat consumption and increase their fruit and vegetable consumption, affecting not only their lives directly but encouraging a ripple effect within the market.

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  • One unit is suitable for1-2 individuals for a week

  • Multiple stacked units will provide a range between 10-18 degrees Celsius (coolest compartment, at the bottom) 

  • Uses ‘dew point evaporative cooling’ - not electricity

  • User must ‘water’ the product weekly to keep items cool (encourages user awareness within their weekly consumption) 

  • Encourages the user to purchase unpackaged produce, such as local farmer produce

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