WHAT IS THE NYC CURB-TO-MARKET CHALLENGE?
Making consumer products from New York City’s waste
The NYC Curb-To-Market Challenge was created to encourage the individuals and organizations of NYC to convert the city’s waste into a sellable product. The contestants were to develop the product concept, its lifecycle and its Circular business model.
The aim of the project was to design site-specific products, reduce the amount of material that ends up in the landfill, decrease the amount of raw material created, localize production and reduce transportation emissions.
WHAT WE DID FOR THE CHALLENGE
Making products with recycled plastic and solar power
Anthropocene.Design LLC entered the competition with a project that aimed to turn New York City’s post-consumer plastic into well-designed, functional products. It would make the production entirely zero-waste and emission-free. The process would occur in local MicroFactories scattered around the city (starting with Governors Island), creating site-specific product designs, lowering transportation emissions, and providing local, green jobs.
Upon winning the competition, the project was funded and became what is now Circular Economy Manufacturing.
Explore the design in 3D below. Open it in full screen, navigate it, explode the installation to reveal its diverse components, and more.
Product Design
Along with the manufacturing process, we designed products that could be made in the MicroFactories, working well with the rotational molding process and with the target tri-state population.
Circular Economy Model
We created a model specific to the proposal, whereby the company would work with the city and would design products for durability rather than obsolescence.
Awards & Press
Crain’s featured Barent Roth, the Director and Co-Founder of Anthropocene.Design upon winning the NYC Curb-to-Market Challenge.