How can we make use of the hype around and the functionality behind NFT in the context of circularity and sustainability?

NFTs are a promising technical development, but apart from trivial use case s and speculation, they still lack meaningful application. We observed that the consumption pattern of furniture is shifting towards shorter cycles, while NFT’s can create digital scarcity, incentivising people to hold on to something of value. How can the concept of digital scarcity be used in the context of furniture production? Following this question opens up a new design space between the digital and physical world. What if in the future we understand objects, materials and goods as multilayered and complex as they are. Could this help people to relate and care more for their objects?

We collaborated with IKEA’s design and research lab SPACE10 and interaction design and soft robotics researcher Anna Schaeffner The Carbon Banks white paper was created with Bakken + Bæck. And the visual storytelling, CGI and look development was carried out by ZÜNC.

Instead of leaving physical reality behind we imagine objects to become portals that help us navigate between environments.

In the next decade, bridges between digital and physical will be established allowing digital amplification to become an essential part of our daily lives. We believe in the future physical and digital will need to be thought of as one. Instead of leaving physical reality behind we imagine objects to become portals that help us navigate between environments. In this sense a kitchen chair will stay functional but also become an artwork that decorates a digital forest, showroom or market place.

Carbon Banks is founded on the observation that digital scarcity creates value for people.

Through personalizing a digital twin over time, people attach and care more. This process is outlined to be balancing the value decrease of purely physical furniture. The balance between digital and physical value needs to gradually adjust. We layouted a basic set of rules (guidelines) to set up such a smart contract, UX and UI elements.