Cards for circularity: Towards circular design in practice

Abstract

The transition towards a Circular Economy (CE) in the built environment is crucial to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Theoretical frameworks and methods for circular design have been developed. Yet, there is a lack of knowledge on circular design in practice and how circular design thinking can be supported. This study aims to provide insights on circular design in practice and how this can be supported through circular design methods. First, we reviewed existing circular design methods and developed a card-based circular design tool. Next, an interactive survey and design workshop using the tool was carried out with 12 design experts to gather knowledge on circular design in practice. Finally, we derive key learnings that can support the development of circular design methods and advancement of CE in practice. Overall, circular design remains highly conceptual and is challenging due to the interconnectedness of parameters and temporal aspects such as product life cycle. Designers need ways of educating and convincing stakeholders on the value and feasibility of circular design. Advancing the CE in practice requires circular design methods that help to contextualize the design process and reduce complexity, and examples are needed of how CE can be implemented in practice.

Circularity in product engineering – towards a forward-looking approach across product generations

“…In connection with the product engineering process, previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of circularity on only one product generation without taking the development of product in generations explicitly into account (Gräßler and Hesse, 2022;Becker et al, 2019;Hollander et al, 2017;Breimann et al, 2023;Stölzle et al, 2023). Hence, current implementation and operationalization as well as model-theoretical support in product engineering for an effective cross-generational approach is limited (Dokter et al, 2020). The model of SGE -System Generation Engineering provides an advantageous basis for integrating circular criteria into product engineering over several product generations (Schulze et al, 2023).…”

Cards for Circularity (CFC): Reflections on the use of a card-based circular design tool in design education

“…Some of these tools originate from practice such as The Circular Design Guide [8], others originate from academics in the form of serious games [9] and card-based tools to support circular design ideation and innovation processes [10,11]. One of the tools, the card-based circular design tool Cards for Circularity (CfC), first presented in [12] and based on a systematic literature review and analysis of 36 existing circular design frameworks [13], is suitable for both the design of products and throughout various scales in the built environment and aims to support the conceptualisation of holistic circular design solutions. The tool distinguishes strategies in three different models (i.e.…”

“…The CfC utilized in this study is a further iteration of the tool [12], incorporating two major changes: (1) the inclusion of practical examples on the cards to inspire, broaden perspectives and convey the practical feasibility of the CE and (2) the change to a digital web-based version of the tool to enhance accessibility for digital workshops (in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic) and enable simultaneous usage by a large number of groups in the context of design education. Figure 2 provides a view of the web-based CfC.…”

Comparing Circular Kitchens: A Study of the Dutch Housing Sector

“…However, only a few authors have specifically studied circularity in the kitchen industry. For example, Ollar et al [13] studied which aspects of stakeholders' value propositions might contribute to circular housing design, with a focus on the kitchen, and Dokter et al [45] studied how co-creation can contribute to the implementation of a CE in the kitchen industry. For their Circular Kitchen (CIK) research project, Wouterszoon Jansen et al [16] developed and reflected on the development of a single circular kitchen over four years, deriving lessons for the development processes of other circular components.…”