Design sits prominently at the heart of the circular economy. It requires a redesign of everything: products, business models, cities, and the linear systems that have lasted for the past centuries.
CONNECT | COLLABOTATE | ILLUMINATE
THE ORIGINS OF THE CONCEPT
An idea whose time has come.
The notion of circularity has deep historical and philosophical origins. The idea of feedback, of cycles in real-world systems, is ancient and has echoes in various schools of philosophy. It enjoyed a revival in industrialised countries after World War II when the advent of computer-based studies of non-linear systems unambiguously revealed the complex, interrelated, and therefore unpredictable nature of the world we live in – more akin to a metabolism than a machine. With current advances, digital technology has the power to support the transition to a circular economy by radically increasing virtualisation, de-materialisation, transparency, and feedback-driven intelligence.
WHY WE NEED A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The rapid rise in global population and subsequent increase in the middle class consumers has created an unprecedented demand for extraction of natural resources to meet the rising demands. Unbridled mass production and hyper consumerism has been taking its toll on the finite natural resources and with the current trend the pressure on resources will only exacerbate in future.
Here lies the shortfall of linear economy—its dual effects on environment, one through production which results in natural resource depletion and carbon emission, and the other through the ‘end of life’ of product resulting into waste.
WHAT IS DESIGN?
Design is creation with intention.
Crucially, when something is designed important decisions are made that impact how it is manufactured, how it is used, and what happens when it is no longer needed or wanted. It is exceedingly difficult to go back and undo the effects of those decisions if they are later found to produce undesirable consequences.
THE CIRCULAR DESIGN PROCESS
Adding Circular Value
The circular design process comprises four stages and is informed by approaches such as design thinking and human-centered design.
Understand > Get to know you, and how you use and feel when using our products. Its an inclusive experience.
Define > Tackle the design challenge and what you want to achieve, considering the entire experience.
Make > Precision handcrafted. Designed for maximum accuracy during production.
Re-use> We encourage the re-use of your old shade and LED lighting by revamping its decor that compliments your space. Your experience and interactions with our products and designs, gives us insight into how we fit within the wider circular system.
KEEP PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS IN USE
What if we could build an economy that re-uses things rather than uses them up?
A circular economy favours activities that preserve value in the form of energy, labour, and materials. This means designing for durability, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling to keep products, components, and materials circulating in the economy. Circular systems make effective use of bio-based materials by encouraging many different uses for them as they cycle between the economy and natural systems.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SYSTEM-WIDE BENEFITS
The impact of shifting to a circular economy have on the environment?
The potential benefits of shifting to a circular economy extend beyond the economy and into the natural environment. By designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating rather than degrading natural systems, the circular economy represents a powerful contribution to achieving global climate targets