Responsibility as a product designer
Projekter Industrial Design is committed to environmental protection by supporting the volunteer project “Rheinkrake”, which was created by the well-known actor Christian Stock (including Alarm for Cobra 11, Tatort, SOKO Cologne). This unique project, which will be presented at Boot Düsseldorf in January 2024, aims to collect and analyse waste from the Rhine in order to raise awareness of environmental protection.
As part of our social responsibility as product designers, who also deal with the life cycle and sustainability of products, we are happy to contribute to the “Rheinkrake” project. Our expert know-how in model making and 3D printing is used here: We create a functional model of the floating garbage trap on a scale of 1:10 using CAD construction and then the physical components using rapid prototyping (SLA and SLS printing processes), CNC milling and classic workshop model making.
The model not only demonstrates our technical expertise, but also stands for our concrete commitment as developers to address societal problems such as waste management. It underlines our conviction that design and technology play a key role in finding solutions that arise from dealing with the end products of our consumer society.
Valuable Findings for Environmental Research
The Rhine Krake, anchored in Cologne at kilometer 690.30 on the Rhine, is an effective solution for waste collection and contributes significantly to purifying the river. As the Rhine Bends, the flow here is particularly favourable to intercept as much waste as possible. The floating trash trap achieves this through a collection basket, which is attached between two floats and opens in the opposite direction of flow. The project was implemented to highlight the urgent need to clean rivers and reduce the impact of waste on the marine environment. The basket is designed to catch floating plastic on the surface of the water but poses no threat to fish and birds. The data collected by the Rhine Krake provides valuable insights for environmental research and contribute to developing future environmental protection measures.
Promoting sustainable initiatives
Our support for the “Rheinkrake” environmental project underlines our commitment to environmental protection and shows how technological know-how can be used to promote sustainable initiatives. We are pleased to be part of this important project and wish the Rheinkrake Association every success at the trade fair.
