Education in Circular Economy: Focusing on Life Cycle Thinking at the University of the Basque Country

Abstract

Since 2002, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has supported several teaching experiences related to the so-called Life Cycle Thinking or Ecodesign in collaboration with local Institutions. The kick off was the Ecodesign Learning Center aiming to promote environmental education at the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao. In this framework, the last effort has been the implementation of a Master’s Degree entitled Circular Economy: Business Application. This course has been successfully implemented in the 2019–2020 academic year and has been specifically designed to provide training in circular economy for people with backgrounds as varied as product manufacturing engineering, environmental engineering or economics. These studies are aimed to become a European reference in its goal of promoting circular economy, life cycle thinking, ecodesign and sustainable development. This paper analyzes the learning issues and characteristics of this Master's degree placing a special emphasis on its novel competencies and learning outcomes for our society. It can be concluded that the Master's degree is a pioneering teaching experience, being the forefront of Circular Economy Education in Southwestern Europe.