How can a piece of furniture be designed so that it can be used for as long as possible? For OTTO, a team of students in the Cross Innovation Class developed a modular chair that combines the circular economy with innovative materials from paludiculture.
OTTO is supporting a project on paludiculture, which involves the agricultural use of wet or rewetted moorland. The aim is to develop new applications for furniture using the materials obtained from this process.
During their research, the students in the Cross Innovation Class focused on a chair and the question: How can a piece of furniture be used throughout different stages of life without having to replace it entirely when requirements change?
In addition to adaptability and reparability, consideration should also be given to how individual components can be kept in circulation for as long as possible.
The result is ‘otto’, a modular chair with a durable base frame made of aluminium tubing and interchangeable seat and back panels.
Depending on its use, the frame can be repositioned and combined with different components. The prototype developed features variants as a children’s chair and a dining chair; further uses are conceivable.
The product is complemented by the use of materials from paludiculture and a platform concept for used modules. Individual components can thus be repaired, replaced, resold or adapted to a new phase of use, rather than replacing the entire piece of furniture.
The concept thus combines modularity, the circular economy and new sustainable materials. For OTTO, this also creates opportunities for longer-term customer relationships and services extending beyond the initial purchase.
“Taking part in the Cross Innovation Class was a refreshing and inspiring experience. The students’ fresh insights and creative ideas were particularly valuable, as they opened up exciting new perspectives.”
In the Cross Innovation Class, students from various universities work in interdisciplinary teams to tackle the challenges set by the project partners. The process follows the principles of design thinking: through iterative feedback loops with the partners, the teams work step by step towards a solution.
The entire process is managed by the Cross Innovation Hub team and supported by trained facilitators. Prototypes can be created and tested in the workshops at the partner universities.
The Cross Innovation Class 2026 took place during the summer term and focused on the theme of sustainable innovations. Students from Wedel University of Applied Sciences, the AMD Academy of Fashion & Design, Brand University of Applied Sciences and Leuphana University of Lüneburg took part.
OTTO, based in Hamburg, is Germany’s largest online shop and one of the country’s leading e-commerce platforms. Around 4,900 employees are working to continuously develop the digital retail offering and associated services. On otto.de, more than 6,100 retailers and partners offer over 19 million items. As well as new technologies and digital shopping experiences, OTTO is also committed to issues such as climate protection, sustainable logistics and responsible consumption.
