To better understand what circular design is, it is necessary to understand how “traditional” product design has contributed to the unsustainable development of the linear economy and the urgent need to redesign the industrial structure in the transition to the circular economy.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the main objective has become flow design and production, bringing products and services to as many people as possible.
After the Great Depression of 1929, in an effort to stimulate the economy, designers were tasked with designing new products from planned obsolescence, that is, products are designed with the intention of becoming obsolete and being discarded and replaced as quickly as possible. We also have the perceptive obsolescence that leads the consumer to want something better or more modern even if your product still works perfectly.
As we can see, this strategy encourages waste, consumerism and the consequent accumulation of toxic waste, since there is no concern with reuse, disassembly or recycling of materials. The important thing would be to create products that are attractive, accessible to people and that last long enough to meet market expectations.
However, industry and governments began to realize that this strategy was wrong and, in addition to all the waste generated, a lot of money was wasted.
It was concluded that the linear economy error was precisely in the product design stage, which did not foresee the reuse of materials.
Thecorrect reuse is the one in which the material is reused in the value chain in an equal or greater way than the original product.
If trash is a consequence of bad design practice, circular design is the crucial transition to a world without trash, a huge opportunity for innovation, including circularity criteria and human and environmental health.
Designing for the circular economy is about researching and understanding the needs of all users or uses of materials within the system.
In recent years, several studies and projects have been carried out, such as the British project The Great Recovery Project, which tries to identify the challenges and opportunities in product design for the circular economy. In the report Investigating the Role of Design for the Circular Economy, 4 design models were presented.
1 – Design for longevity: means finding ways to extend the lifecycle of a product, not only through durable materials and components, but also through the possibility of being easily repaired or updated by the users themselves.
2- Design for the service: the idea is to make companies remain responsible for repairing and forwarding equipment when they no longer serve their users.
ARTIGO EM DESTAQUE / FEATURED ARTICLE
.26 | JUN.