Every product, every service, every supply chain has its weakest link. Some get discovered quickly. Some only after many years. But it are these weakest links that show us the way to something better.
In the image above you see a pan that we have been using for years. Great size and perfectly functional. Except for the handles. They were from plastic and deteriorated over time. But the metal and glass parts are still perfectly OK.
So, I searched the internet for replacement handles but could not find any. If they would have been available I would probably have bought a whole set for all the pans.
How many things do we throw away because repair is “uneconomical”? It is just not sustainable and I tried to make a statement by creating our own replacement handles. Out of wood.
Business opportunity?
What do you think the profit margin is for a set of pans? And what do you think the profit margin could be for a set of handles? Maybe the total profit on a set of replacement handles could rival the profit for a whole set of new pans.
Or what about a repair shop with woodworking equipment or a 3D printer. Might be a great place for our youth to master some skills or for our seniors to keep making an active contribution.
Many business cases are centered on make; use and dump. We are in desperate need for business cases that are centered on circularity.