During this Dutch Design Week 2023, Nieuwe Instituut presents the first test version of New Store: a project that explores the possibilities (and challenges) of regenerative retail.
In this first New Store pilot, we will test forms of consumption and invite visitors to try out regenerative products. This is the first phase of a multi-year project, in which the Nieuwe Instituut is collaborating with the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) and research consultancy The Seeking State. Together, we will explore how retail can make a positive contribution to environmental and social processes in the long term.
During Dutch Design Week, three selected designers will test product ideas that rethink conventional consumer products by using alternative materials, production processes, working conditions, sales methods and eventual reuse. This ‘non-extractive’ way of working, which avoids extraction, exploitation and depletion, is the first step in a longer journey. The path to regeneration runs from the current status quo of exploitation, through restoration and conservation, and ultimately to improvement.
