Transition of food grain purchasing systems in urban gated communities towards a circular economy
India’s food grain industry is not only a critical pillar of the nation’s economy but also central to addressing urgent environmental challenges. In this project, I explored how service system design can support a transition from linear consumption models to a circular economy, particularly within urban gated communities. As urban wealth and health consciousness grow, so does the demand for natural, organic, and sustainable food options. However, the current food system, while efficient, has proven unsustainable in the long run.
My design research focused on rethinking local food grain purchasing systems to promote sustainability through reuse, restoration, and remanufacturing. The objective was to create a closed-loop model where food-related resources remain valuable over multiple cycles, reducing environmental impact and dependency on extractive supply chains. By applying circular design principles, I aimed to increase utility while fostering economic and ecological resilience. This project allowed me to combine systems thinking, user experience design, and sustainability principles to envision a more regenerative future in food distribution.
Conceptualization and Conclusion
From the research and analysis brainstormed on possible solutions specific to gated communities, considering the problems that residents face related to food grain delivery and consumption. The factors considered to develop concepts are as follows:
• Sustainable measures to eliminate single-use plastic packaging
• Application of sustainable strategies in the distribution system
• Personas developed from the survey and interviews conducted
• The characteristics of different gated communities
• The food grain consumption and buying pattern of the people
• The geographical specifications of the communities
• Last-mile delivery issues faced by the consumers
The respondents were equally interested in purchasing food grains from online sites and supermarkets, The local supermarkets can now deliver faster than any other online grocery store, and communication has become easier through social media platforms, where customers can send a list of required products and have them delivered. Demography, gender, and marital status show variability in food grain consumption and purchase habits. Regarding the frequency of visits to supermarkets, a significant difference was observed between male and female as well as Bachelors, Young couples, Newly married, and older married couples.
When it comes to waste disposal methods, mostly everyone disposes of the packages along with the household waste which is segregated as per the recycling tags and put in the coloured bins given by the municipality. Other than waste disposals, last-mile delivery issues have been identified from the information collected from the consumers.
Taking into account all of the issues that customers have with food grain purchases, presented a food grain subscription system that can be deployed in gated communities. Under this business model, Food grains will be sourced from merchants that meet all sustainability standards and stocked inside the community. Food grains will be delivered to customers according to the subscriptions acquired in reusable containers or cloth bags, which may be returned on the next purchase.
• WON BEST PAPER AWARD at ICORD'23 IISC Bangalore!
Avinash, P.K., Mohapatra, S., Ji, Shiva. (2023). The Transition of Food Grain Purchasing Systems in Urban Gated Communities Towards a Circular Economy in India. In: Chakrabarti, A., Singh, V. (eds) Design in the Era of Industry 4.0, Volume 2, pp 1185–1194. ICORD 2023. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 342. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0264-4_96
