When Gabriel Kay began thinking about the future impact on the planet, he started at home with an appliance in most kitchens: a kettle used to brew the water for comforting cups of tea.
"Everyone can relate to a kettle, right?" the 22-year-old industrial and product design student at De Montfort University told the Guardian. "It's easy to understand and associated with comfort. It's a friendly introduction to design."
This kettle design is different than most, however. Named "Osiris" after the Egyptian god of death, rebirth, and resurrection, Kay's kettle is built to be repaired time and again — an answer to the growing problem of toxic electronic waste that the United Nations Institute for Training and Research warns is "rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling."
"I believe anybody is capable of carrying out maintenance and understanding how their products work," Kay shared with the Guardian, explaining that keeping the kettle in peak condition is as simple as changing the dust bag in a vacuum cleaner.
The project has garnered significant attention for its ingenious simplicity, per the Guardian, which highlighted Kay's inclusion in the prestigious Green Grads program. Award-winning design journalist Barbara Chandler founded the United Kingdom not-for-profit in 2021 to support young graduates seeking environmentally beneficial solutions.
"Repair — and its bedfellow, durability — are vital strategies for cutting waste, infinitely better than recycling," Chandler told the Guardian. "According to the EU, 80% of consumers would like repairable goods. But repairs need to be easy and reassuring. Gabriel's kettle focuses on that. You never see any scary internal electrics. Materials are robust; it looks good and works well."
The James Dyson Award has also featured Osiris. According to a breakdown on the international student design competition's website, the kettle is 95.8% easier to refurbish than similar products already on the market, and it has received recognition from New Designers 2024 and strategic design agency Seymourpowell.
Ultimately, even though major brands such as Best Buy and Staples have made it easier to recycle e-waste, Kay hopes refurbishment will become the norm, with restoration not only benefiting household budgets but also the planet by preserving natural resources.
An investor hasn't yet taken notice of Osiris, but other repairable electronic goods such as Suri's recyclable toothbrush have found success, suggesting the market for the kettle may soon blossom, per the Guardian.
"I think in the future, as regulations make right to repair a standard practice, there could be a perfect market for a product like this," Kay told the publication.
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