We are Liam and Tom, two of the industrial designers who design the tools for Kingfisher plc.
Kingfisher is an international home improvement retailer with over 1,900 stores in eight countries across Europe. It operates under retail banners including B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix, TradePoint and Koçtaş.
When it comes to designing sustainably, designers often focus on materials. Using recycled plastic and making the product easy to disassemble for recycling are things that we (at Kingfisher) have been building into our briefs for many years. So, we were surprised when, looking through the results of a lifecycle analysis of some of our tools, we noticed that although these two things do help, they are not as effective as simply making a product that lasts longer.
Our Erbauer Gen 2 range of power tools and outdoor power equipment, like many of the products that we have created before it, is made of recycled plastic, but it is our first power tool range designed specifically for repairability.