Circular design is the practice of creating durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable products that generate zero waste to support a circular economy.
In circular design, designers consider all stages of a product's lifecycle and ensure that it is sustainable from manufacturing to disposal. Some examples of the decisions involved in circular design are:
Raw material: what is the source material, and how can we extract it sustainably?
Product specifications: is the product reusable, repairable and recyclable?
Manufacturing process: is it energy-efficient, and does it generate any waste?
Distribution and use: How much energy does it take to deliver and use the product/service? Where does this energy come from?
Disposal: Can the product be dismantled? Can we use the parts as-is in the manufacturing process again? Can we return the raw materials to the earth?
The circular economy butterfly diagram by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation illustrates how circular design minimizes waste while working with renewable and non-renewable materials.
© Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Fair Use
Eliminate waste and pollution, including toxic substances that harm the soil and water and reduce emissions. Almost every product generates waste, so we need to redesign everything. Design plays a key role here.
Circulate products and materials at their highest value for as long as possible. A recycled product must be energy-efficient in the recycling process. Further, recycling should not result in a substantially inferior product. For example, we can build machines to last a long time and be dismantlable so manufacturers/service providers can easily repair their parts and reuse them in new products. They should be recyclable so that we do not mine more resources from the earth.
Regenerate natural systems by returning natural resources to the earth. For example, we can convert food waste to compost and return it to the soil to regenerate farmlands.
Circular design sounds overwhelming. However, UX pioneer Don Norman explains that we can seek inspiration from nature. Nature creates, packages, delivers and disposes off materials with zero waste.
Circular design isn't easy, but it’s possible. Here's how we can start:
Learn about different materials and new techniques to manufacture.
Shift from a product mindset to a system mindset.
Transform business models from selling products to selling services and experiences.
Circular design is essential to create a circular economy and, ultimately, a healthy, life-sustaining planet. Given the precarious state of the planet, it is imperative that we adopt circular design as fast as possible and secure a better future.
The good news is that as a designer, you already have many of the skills needed to practice circular design. To know how you can leverage your design knowledge and skills and take the first steps to create circular designs, take the course Design For a Better World with Don Norman.
For more on circular design, take our course: Design For a Better World with Don Norman.
Norman, Donald A. Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered. Cambridge, MA, MA: The MIT Press, 2023.
Read more essays and articles by Don Norman, visit Don Norman's JND.org
For a closer look and detailed explanation on the butterfly diagram, watch this video interview with Dame Ellen MacArthur on What is a circular economy?
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation offers a great overview of circular design in Circular design: turning ambition into action.
Here’s the entire UX literature on Circular Design by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:
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