Innovation through circular design thinking

Powering circular culture,
consumption & behaviour

About the programme

The Circle Design & Brands Programme enables design- and brand-driven organisations and individuals to create design-led, circular solutions. 

We aim to enable systemic change throughout supply chains (from sourcing and production to usage and the end of life phase) by identifying key opportunities for circular product development, service offerings, business models, brand management and functional system changes. These insights allow stakeholders to address the right problems and enable us to co-innovate practical circular design and business solutions with our partners and clients. It also allows us to amplify the power of professionals, consumers and brands to create scalable, purposeful innovations towards circularity.

WHY?

Crafting a system for social, ecological and economic health

The circular economy aims to build resilience towards linear risks. The covid-19 crisis exposed a lot of these risks and many of them are only expected to continue to have hard-hitting social, economic and ecological impacts as climate breakdown escalates.

How can we operate within the earth’s natural boundaries whilst safeguarding a good standard of living for the global population? How can we engage in the development of forward-thinking models and smarter solutions to create well rounded, healthy systems on a social, economic and ecological level? How can we lead this transformation?

HOW?

Industry engagement

At Circle Economy, we plant the seeds to make it possible for you, your team, your partners, and your stakeholders to understand, engage and act in building a circular future to last. Our eight years of industry experience in shaping circular change has allowed us to engage and build expertise across industries. This has bolstered our insights to help you develop and mature your circular ambitions.

OUR FOCUS

design
The impact of design on how we produce and consume is immense. All products that we use come from the hands of designers.

The ways that people consume and use products and services are fundamentally changing, and spawning new business models for accessing goods and services. Circular design therefore sees tremendous opportunity to enable circular transformation by identifying pressure points and opportunities for circular product development, service offerings, business models, brand management and functional system changes, which lead to addressing the right problems, and creating viable solutions fit for circular systems.
BRANDS
To catalyse and scale the circular economy, brands and organisations have a major role to play. Their closeness to the consumer and their influence over their supply chain puts brands in a unique position to accelerate towards a circular future, and amplify it through scale. Impact can be made on a systemic level, addressing value chain actors, internal and external stakeholders, and consumers in order to create a societal impact.
CONSUMPTION
Insights around the circular economy have often focused on businesses or cities. When we have a holistic look at a circular economy, we miss out on a very important perspective. Even though the consumer plays a vital role in the economy, an actionable focus on consumption has not been in the driver's seat. Consumer spending keeps growing, the amount of middle class consumers is set to triple by 2030, and consumer patterns are changing, for example by a growing number of people living alone. Opportunities lie in identifying what consumers can do to adopt a circular lifestyle, enabling them to take responsibility and push for a transition towards a world that is inclusive, collaborative and regenerative.

MEET THE TEAM

Ola
Bąkowska
Strategist

PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS