Companies that design more restorative and regenerative products have the power to change consumer behaviors in subtle ways that encourage circularity.
The idea of a circular economy is simple logic that requires a complex redesign: it’s not just a matter of conserving raw materials by reducing consumption for the benefit of the planet. It involves building a whole new economic ecosystem in which nothing ever goes to waste and where nature is regenerated over time. Processes such as maintenance, refurbishment, and remanufacturing will be combined with reuse, recycling, and composting. Circularity is about living in greater harmony with a world where the natural environment is systematically restored.
Long term, government bodies and regulatory authorities can play a pivotal role in creating the legislative changes needed to fulfill this dream. However, companies can influence consumer behaviors in more subtle ways to encourage circularity now. By creating products that are restorative and regenerative by design, companies can embed circularity throughout the consumer product experience from conceptualization to recovery.
How to encourage circularity
Customer education is an essential part of introducing circularity to industries that need a new approach to becoming more sustainable. For instance, in the age of fast fashion, a wholesale rethinking of the textiles culture will be necessary before circular principles are fully embraced. Inspired leadership will play a vital role. Initiatives such as Make Fashion Circular and Cradle to Cradle are making an impact on luxury brands that care about carving out an ethical reputation in sustainability. Leading designers such as Stella McCartney are creating innovative ways to reuse materials, including recycled nylon and regenerated cashmere, as well as sourcing viscose from sustainably managed forests in Sweden.
Company culture is also a core aspect of change. If there is a lack of leadership from above, employees at the grassroots level must feel confident enough to voice the need for greater sustainability. Integrating circular principles in traditional corporate decision-making will be a defining factor.
Circularity sounds awesome—why isn’t everyone doing it?
Most companies are lacking integration on issues related to circularity. A wholesale transformation of operations is necessary if sustainability goals are to be met, but supply chain functions don’t typically have a seat at the table during the product design process. Sharing knowledge about circular topics has begun, but it’s a slow process. A great leap forward will only be made when partnerships are formed with innovative companies and suppliers, harnessing new technology to achieve circular objectives. This will not only help reputation management but also improve the bottom line of the business. Early success in circularity is an indicator of quality from a B2B perspective.
Begin at the beginning before going round in circles
To become more circular, you have to start from scratch. Begin by reducing the complexity in raw materials, whether in colors, resins, or materials. Then, standardize while reacting to constant requests for something new. There’s very high relevance and impact when it comes to implementing circularity at a granular level in each industry. For instance, more than 4 percent of CO2 emissions come from the health and med tech industries alone. If every industry committed to circularity now, the benefits for the future would be incalculable.
This article is part of a series created from the content discussed at the 2023 Future of Design summit. The discussion featured Annabelle Hutter, managing director of Säntis Textiles, and Peter Skillman, head of design at Philips. The moderator was Angela Hultberg, global sustainability director at Kearney.
Held at Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, this annual event was attended by design and operations leaders from some of the world’s most innovative companies to imagine what’s next in product design.
