What is Circular Design ?

Circular Design for us does not stop at a fabric or materials choice - even the way that the design is made to be deconstructed or 'design for deconstruction'

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Of course Circular and product circularity is important - and our book Real Circularity co-authored by our director Rachel Sheila Kan and Ken Alston who worked with the originators of Cradle to Cradle discusses how to design a product.

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Core principles of designing the product are:

Mono materials 

Stripping back of unnecessary elements 

Ensuring that there are no toxins or indeed no chance of those toxins being release on use or cycling 

Designing for longevity and evolution 

As the article recognises the need for on a garment size and fit to be not only really good - but adjustable and modular.

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In our work, Circular Design goes further to work with systems of take back, & cycling .. as well as working with new business models that work with the circular value streams.

 

This approach has also been recognised by The Independent, which featured Circular Earth's work on designing clothing that stays in use for longer and explores how adaptable garments can reduce unnecessary replacement.  This features our work in Sanja Stories where we created a fully circular and regenerative product and business model