The Circular Design Guide
What is it?
The Circular Design Guide is an online platform with interdisciplinary educational material and tools such as circular innovation methods, workshop packages, strategy cards and worksheets as pdf files. Case stories and films are also part of the platform. This general design guide connects to Make Fashion Circular.
Focus is on creative and regenerative solutions for the circular economy giving businesses a competitive advantage.
The Circular Design Guide is a collaboration between the Ellen MacArthur Foundation an independent charity NGO working across three interlinking areas education, business innovation and analytics to accelerate the transition to a circular economy and IDEO – a global design company committed to creating positive impact. Launched 2017.
Platform overview
Methods offer a number of activities to help you understand, define, make, and release circular innovations.
Mindsets present four approaches 1) Widen your view of user-centredness, 2) Reimagine viability, 3) Design for evolution, 4) Build a strong narrative
Stories ‘portray the journey and work of circular pioneers…driving the transition to a circular economy.’
Resources include Workshops and Worksheets along with Circular Design Brief Package, and Circular design toolkit. Other Resources are: Videos, Useful links, Case studies and Glossary.
Relevance
The platform offers premade workshops, tools including methods and strategies for implementing circularity from the beginning of the design process. Tutors may adopt The Circular Design Guide for student’s activities related to analysis of and improvement in existing companies or for setting up their own business. Especially relevant for interdisciplinary teaching and group work.
Target group: Students, Tutors, Designers, Companies, Industry, Organisations
How it connects to the Pillars
It primarily touches upon environmental and economic aspects of sustainability, but is quite clear about the need for a total shift of mindsets in design.
Economy – Incorporates “circular business model”
Environmental - Introduces “smart material choices”
Activity proposals
Identifying Circular Loops
Materials Origin and Functions