It goes without saying that a lot of thought has gone into designing the WheelAir system. From breathable fabrics right down to the electronic circuit boards, each step has been carefully considered. Including even the product’s lifespan.
Sustainable design is central to WheelAir’s values and the product has been created with longevity in mind. A key consideration throughout the design process was how to ensure the product has as long a life cycle as possible, to ensure people can keep using their WheelAir for ever.
Not only does this benefit the user, but it improves the environmental footprint of the product.
“What I don’t want to happen is for us to create a product, it eventually gets to the end of its lifecycle and people have to throw it away,” explained WheelAir CEO and founder, Corien Staels. “I’m sure this isn’t what the end user wants, and certainly not what the environment wants either.
“What we did with WheelAir was make sure that none of the parts are glued together. Everything is screwed in, and all the individual components are attached to the unit in a way that can be taken off and reattached easily without any special technical knowledge. That way every component can be easily replaced.”
Inside the fanbox, there is a circuit board, two fans and a battery, all of which can be replaced individually. WheelAir can also replace the internal or external plastic casings, if they happen to be damaged. This means that the whole fanbox can last for eternity.
If your WheelAir battery needs replacing, for example, then this can be arranged with help from the WheelAir team at a low cost, or through a local retailer. The same goes for the other individual components such as channels, plastic casings and slingback materials. All of this is possible because the replacement of these components requires no particular specialist knowledge about the WheelAir product itself.
As well as ensuring an eternal life cycle for WheelAir systems, the company has also committed to making the product as environmentally friendly as possible. The slingback is made from, as far as possible, 100% materials – such as 100% polyester – meaning it is easier to recycle than if it was a blend of materials. All packaging materials for sales and shipping are also made from recyclable materials, even down to the paper tape used to seal boxes for shipping.
“First and foremost we wanted to make a product that can last forever, with parts that can be replaced eternally,” Corien added.
“But we also want to make sure the whole WheelAir production process is as sustainable as it can be and create a circular economy.”
The process of replacement of components should be possible through the end user’s point of sale. In other words, through official WheelAir distributors and retailers. For more information visit wheelair.co.uk or contact one of our team at info@wheelair.co.uk.