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In our linear economy, value is created through the consumption of materials.
Resources, however, are fi nite – our present trajectory is therefore unsustainable,
both environmentally and economically.
In a circular economy, by contrast, value is decoupled from material consumption,
keeping resources in a cycle of reuse, recycling and remanufacture. Although there is
no alternative to a circular economy, its implementation poses considerable
challenges for society – as well as unique opportunities.
Shaping the transition to a circular economy is one of the major issues facing our
generation, with designers set to play a key role. The Circular Design Guidelines have
been developed to show how designers can meaningfully contribute to transforming
our global economic system.
1.
A circular product remains useful for a long time.
Good design adapts to changing requirements to ensure prolonged usage. This longevity is
not only about durability, but also about ensuring that a product remains useful throughout its
lifespan. People’s lives and situations change constantly; product design needs to accept
this reality by embracing flexibility and modularity as much as possible.
2.
A circular product can be repaired.
Products are made from different parts and materials that wear out at different speeds.
Designers need to understand this variability and design around it: all components need to
be repairable or replaceable by the user or local repair shops. Signs of wear are inevitable,
and designers should select materials whose ageing does not reduce their value.
3.
A circular product can be updated.
All products are imperfect and contain elements that can be developed and refi ned. Design
should accept and work with this imperfection, creating products in which individual elements
can be improved and reincorporated, extending their lifespan on the market. Good design is
essentially pragmatic – it recognises its limits and remains open to improvement.
4.
A circular product is made with renewable or recyclable materials.
The end of a product’s life cycle is as important as its usage, and materials should be
selected with respect to the material cycles of which they are a part. Synthetic materials
should only be used if products can be easily disassembled and absorbed by existing
recycling systems. Natural materials must be harvested sustainably and processed so that
they remain compostable.
5.
A circular product uses as little energy as possible over its entire lifespan.
Energy consumption should be limited over a product’s entire lifetime, not only during its
manufacture. Energy heavy production may be justifi ed by a longer lifespan, or by future
savings on recycling. Aluminium, for instance, is energy intensive to produce, but easy to
recycle and retain within the material cycle.
6.
A circular product can be transported effi ciently.
A product’s distribution should be factored into the design process. Designing products so
that they occupy as little space as possible when being shipped can improve the
environmental impact of their transport, reduce packaging, and ultimately lower the overall
cost for the customer. A product’s initial distribution is as important as its usage or afterlife.
7.
A circular product is more than just circular.
All manufacture comes with an environmental cost: a product must be justifi ed by more
than circularity alone. A good product offers a tangible advantage to the user, something
they can become attached to and want to preserve. Circularity is not puritanical – to fulfi l its
aims, it must also be innovative, elegant and joyful.
8.
A circular product can be used by many.
Long-lasting products can be used by multiple people, particularly those that are only
required for a short period of time. A child’s chair, for instance, should be rented or bought
second-hand rather than purchased. These considerations should affect the business
model behind the design. Responsible cycles of rental, repair and reuse can benefi t both
the user and seller.
9.
A circular product considers those who manufacture, maintain, and recycle it.
A design is only sustainable if the people who produce, maintain, and recycle it are treated
equitably. Good products are produced in countries that respect human rights, and in
factories and workshops that pay and treat workers fairly – a good design does not only
consider the end user, but also provides satisfaction and professional fulfi lment to those
who produce it.
10.
A circular product is as little product as necessary.
Not every design needs to be a product. Physical objects are vehicles for functions or
services, but there are other ways of delivering these. Digital platforms, service design and
interface design all have lighter footprints than objects, but often meet the same needs.
Good product design always considers ways to render the material object superfluous.
THE ROLE OF DESIGN IN THE CONTEXT OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
How designers and manufacturers can support the transformation of
the linear into a circular economy
Today
’
s production and consumption habits mostly follow a linear logic: extraction,
production, consumption, and disposal. Goods thereby lose
more than 90
%
a large part
of
their raw material value after just one cycle of use. At least since the Club of Rome’s
publication of
The Limits of Growth
in 1972, there has been a global debate on the extent to
which a growing world population, increasing prosperity and associated consumption
behaviour are compatible with the Earth
’
s limited resources. While effi ciency approaches
represent an important fi rst step in reducing resource consumption and negative
environmental impacts, their potential is mostly offset by increasing consumption and
rebound effects. The concept of a Circular Economy (CE) goes beyond resource effi ciency,
minimising negative environmental impacts by closing and slowing down material cycles.
CE thus decouples economic growth from the increase of environmental impacts: in the
biosphere, consumer products made from renewable raw materials circulate and are
ultimately composted. In the technosphere, consumer products of synthetic or mineral
origin circulate in a closed cycle. Prominent international proponents of CE include the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation and, at least since the
Circular Economy Package
, also the
European Union.
Circular Economy approaches can be applied in the various stages of a product
’
s life cycle:
material selection and design should allow for durability, reprocessing and reparability or
biodegradability. The use phase should be intensifi ed and extended. This could be done, for
example, by using technical products more effi ciently or replacing them completely with
digital services. At the end of a product’s life cycle, the various recyclable materials should
be separated as far as possible through sorting and dismantling and processed for reuse.
The Circular Economy is a wholly new economic system that will affect all those involved in
economic activity, requiring fundamentally changed patterns of thinking and behaviour.
Designers are in contact with virtually everyone involved in product development,
functioning as a kind of network node. Through dialogue with publishers, project managers,
producers, retailers, and marketing managers, they influence all aspects of the
manufacturing process: conception, choice of materials, place and manner of production.
Beyond the control through certifi cates and standards, this fi rst-hand knowledge makes
them crucial actors in the advancement of the Circular Economy.
Stefan Diez, 2021
