circular economy and design

week 10 circular economy and design

what is the circular economy

a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated

what three principles is the circular economy based on

eliminate waste and pollution

circulate products and materials

regenerate nature

in a circular economy what happens to products and materials

kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling and composting

what things do products in the circular model

made from safe materials

made to be made again

to be used more

what % of all environmental impacts from products are determined at the design stage

80%

what are some circular strategies

closed loop/take back

smart material choices

product life extension

embedding intelligence

modularity

product as a service

explain how closed loop/take back is a circular strategy 

providing a service to collect old or used products and recovering the value in the materials by recycling or reusing them to make new products 

explain how smart material choices is a circular strategy

considering a product’s end of life treatment in the choice of materials and inputs

explain how product life extension is a circular strategy

extending the lifecycle of products to ensure they remain economically useful by maintaining or even improving them through manufacturing, repairing and upgrading

explain how embedding intelligence is a circular strategy

building technology into materials or products to gather user data and generate valuable insights to improve the customer experience 

explain how modularity is a circular strategy

a design that divides a product into smaller parts that can then be independently created, used and replaced

explain how product as a service is a circular strategy

offers that focus on leasing access to a solution instead of selling ownership of a product. services can reduce cost volatility and create stickier customer relationships