Very informative presentation with lots of resources embedded into the pages

1. CIRCULAR
DESIGN
CASE 2017
LEARNING JOURNEY

2. The Circular Design Case
An opportunity to start
your own circular design
journey.
The Circular Design Case, in
association with The Circular
Design Guide, is as much a
learning experience as a design
competition. Its purpose is to
help designers take their first
steps on the journey of creating
products, services and systems
for the circular economy - an
economy that is regenerative and
restorative by design.
Running from the 10th
to the 24th of
November.
To make sure not to miss
anything, check out our
Kick-off live session page.
Submit your entry latest by
Sunday 19th of November at
23:59 GMT.
For any questions you
might have, please
either ask directly on
the Kick-off live
session page or on
Twitter.
#circulardesigncase

3. A circular economy is an
attractive and viable
alternative that businesses
have already started
exploring today.
To drive the transition
towards a more
regenerative economy, we
need to design differently.
Today's linear ‘take, make, dispose’ economy relies on large quantities of cheap,
easily accessible materials and energy, and is a model that is wasteful and
polluting.
THE BRIEF: Your mission

4. THE BRIEF: Your mission
Think of an everyday product that is made out of plastics or plastics-based fibres such as
polyester. Some examples include a cup, a bottle, a shirt, your trainers, a toothbrush, or a carpet in your
flat. Think of the precise context it falls into.
Think of how it is made. It might be made of plastics and molded or extruded. It might be made of
fibres and knitted/woven or nonwoven. Think of its packaging.
Ask yourself: Can you zoom out from end users and consider the wider network of stakeholders? Can you
identify how they influence each other? Look at the material flows and examine where they come from and
where they go after use? Can you find opportunities to redesign this system?
Understand an everyday product by exploring the
system it is part of. Imagine how both could be
redesigned to be in accordance with the circular
economy and its three principles:
1. Design out waste and pollution
2. Keep products and materials in use
3. Regenerate natural systems

5. Submit both files together in JPEG or PNG (max 5MB) through Twitter #circulardesigncase #thinkdif
The 1st submission requirement of the Circular Design Case is:
1 x system map with up to 3 highlighted circular opportunities:
A system map around the product you chose. We are interested to see the important stakeholders and the
connections between them. On top of that, we ask you to highlight up to 3 opportunities to make your
everyday product more circular. Think about what would need to change in the system and what this
change involves for the stakeholders.
FORMAT: Map either by hand (then take a picture and upload it) or with a software of your choice (then convert
it to JPEG or PNG).
TIPS: You might find much more information on the system by choosing a product you own. Remember this is an
exploration process, you might have to do a few iterations.
Submission Process : 1

6. Submission Process : 2
Submit both files together in JPEG or PNG (max 5MB) through Twitter #circulardesigncase #thinkdif
The 2nd submission requirement of the Circular Design Case is:
1 x “One question for systems change” template:
A synthesis of your reflection on the circular opportunities you explored. Formulate your most critical
question on the “One question for systems change” template. If you could ask one question to make your
everyday product more circular, what would it be?
FORMAT: Fill in the “One question for systems change” template either by hand (then take a picture and upload
it) or with a software of your choice (then convert it in JPEG or PNG)..
TIP: Think of this question as your own design challenge. What would you like other people to focus their
attention on?

7. Judging Criteria
There are six criteria your entry will be judged against - make sure you consider them
all when posting your final solution on Twitter #circulardesigncase #thinkdif:
1 System mapping
The important stakeholders of the system are
mapped out & the relationships between them
are clear
2 Circular opportunities (max 3)
They fulfill the principles of the circular
economy & give insights on the relevant
stakeholders that need to be involved
3 One question for systems change
It is specific and action-oriented
4 Visual clarity
Information is easy to grasp and visually
appealing
5 Public voting
Your entry has traction on Twitter (likes,
retweets). Please note that the judging process
will stop on Tuesday 21th November, thus public
votes coming later will not be considered
6 Magic
Your entry shows a high degree of creative
confidence
The judging panel’s decision is final.

8. We are here to help you
Entering the
Circular Design
Case can be as quick
as an evening of
work. Follow the
“Minimalist” track.
To help you with your mission, we have prepared a
learning journey building on the Circular Design
Guide and additional resources.
To go further and learn
about circular design in
more depth, have a look
at the “Bonus” track at
the end of this
document.
Minimalist
Bonus
This journey is modular. You can choose your own level
of depth and further dive into areas that interest you.
Ready? Let’s jump in!

9. You may be wondering “What is a circular economy”?
Have a look at our introductory video to get into the
concept.
Now, have a closer look at how to create for the circular economy!
Listen to Tim Brown introducing the circular economy
from a designer point of view.
Start your circular economy journey

10. Design for the circular economy
What does it mean to design for the circular economy?
Get a sense how design thinking helps to design for
the circular economy!
Circular design is about designing for users,
stakeholders and the systems they are part of.
Are you starting to see how your everyday product could be more circular? Check
out the different loops you can design for.

11. Keep zooming in and out throughout your
journey!
The Circular Design Case is all about learning
to adopt a systems mindset.
Do you start realising the system your
everyday product is part of?
Start your systems thinking journey
Take an extra step in systems thinking on the next page.

12. Leyla Acaroglu and UnSchool introduce us to the key concepts and tools of system thinkers:
From linear thinking to systems thinking
Illustrator: Emma Segal
Source: https://online.unschools.co/collections/systems-thinking

13. Put it in the middle of the
diagram. Then let your mind
roam freely. Identify the many
components / agents that
influence it or who are
influenced by it - people, flows of
materials and energy, sources of
money, legislation, information.
‘When individuals have a better understanding of systems, they are better
able to identify the intervention points that lead to desired outcomes.’ Jules
Hayward
Draw the connections
between the agents to
show what influences
what. Look in particular
for feedback loops. Are
they reinforcing or
balancing ?
A simple starting point is to map the system of your chosen product.
Get further help by looking
at the systems mapping
tool for systems thinkers.
Remember that you cannot
know everything - make
sure you make a conscious
decision as where to stop!
Systems mapping and influence diagrams

14. ‘We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims’
Buckminster Fuller
Once you have a deeper understanding of your object and the
system it is part of, it’s time to identify circular opportunities.
Ask yourself
What forces at play impede the system to be fit for the circular
economy?
How could new opportunities make the system more circular?
Who would benefit?
Who would need to be involved to make this change happen?
Think of what would need to change in the system and how it could be redesigned
Make sure these opportunities fit the
principles of a circular economy:
1. Design out waste and
pollution
2. Keep products and materials
in use
3. Regenerate natural systems
Finding circular opportunities
You can find on the next two pages an example of how an entry could look like. We
take the example of an homemade apple pie (outside the scope of the case).

17. It’s time to
prototype.
Get yourself going at
system mapping.
Remember that you will
need a few iterations.
Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves!
Explore and refine.
You can now synthesize
your system map for others
to understand it. Make sure
your system boundary is
clear.
Identify.
Discover potential circular opportunities by
knowing what you want to solve. Once done, can
you ask the one question that, if answered, could
lead to designing a better system for your everyday
product?

18. Do you feel you adopted the right mindsets throughout your journey?
Do you feel you proposition makes your product a better experience?
Make sure you understand our submission process and judging criteria.
Are you ready to participate?

19. Join us for the Finale on 24 November.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Are you inspired? Do you want to
redesign everything for the circular
economy? Join our emerging community
of circular designers.
Are you looking for further material on
circular design? Find a collection of
resources on the Circular Design Guide.

20. We would like to thank players
of People's Postcode Lottery for
supporting the emerging
circular design community and
the Circular Design Case.

21. BONUS

22. Examine our butterfly diagram as well as the
building blocks of a circular economy.
The New Plastics Economy is an ambitious,
three-year initiative to build momentum towards a
plastics system that works. Start to understand what
the opportunity of a circular economy means for
plastics.
More on the circular economy

23. Do you want to learn more about how designers
turn common products into service models? Check
out the Service Flip method on the Circular Design
Guide.
You can also examine the Biomimicry and
Regenerative Thinking methods to get inspired by
nature.
For a deeper dive have a look at our numerous case
studies. Get inspired by how others are driving the
transition towards a circular economy.
More on design for the circular economy

24. Adopting a systems mindset requires training your
brain to think differently. Get acquainted to the
habits of a systems thinker.
There are also courses available on systems
thinking. Check out what UnSchool have put
together.
More on systems thinking

25. Make your ideas more tangible by filling in the
circular opportunities worksheet.
To further enhance the circularity of your product
check out our method on embedding feedback
loops.
A $2m New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize was
launched in May, calling designers, entrepreneurs,
academics and scientists to rethink the plastics
system and eliminate plastics packaging waste. Get
inspired by the winners!
More on finding circular opportunities