Circular Design with Plastics

Circular Economy is a hot topic and a trendy term. However, what does it really imply for industry, for society, and for development?
What are the existing and the emerging challenges?

Circular Design with Plastics is a RUN-EU Short Advanced Programme (SAP), jointly coordinated by IPCA, NHL-Stenden, AIT and LIT, which aims to present insights into these topics and examine some existing tools that can help designers, engineers, managers and entrepreneurs. From the 20th of September to the 8th of October, 2021, participants will find answers to these and other questions through online lectures, cutting-edge presentations and multidisciplinary group work dynamics.

Every drop of water on the planet has been here for millennia, in a constant cycle of renewal. The aim of circular plastics is to take this approach to plastics and earth’s finite resources. The broad picture of the circular economy is defined by (Murray et al., 2017) as “an economic model wherein planning, resourcing, procurement, production and reprocessing are designed and managed, as both process and output, to maximise ecosystem functioning and human well-being”. The revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD), adopted on 30 May 2018, sets out a greater ambition for prevention, preparation for reuse and recycling than ever before, acknowledging that a more Circular Economy could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with resource extraction and production as well as creating many new jobs. The Environmental, social and economic benefits of circular based process and output operation are significant: Firstly, these activities keep goods within the economy and thereby reduce waste production, leading to a reduction in raw material extraction, manufacturing and transport. Secondly, these activities avoid the creation of recalcitrant wastes and the need for elaborate waste management. Thirdly, the EU acknowledges that circular economic implementation has the potential to positively impact social and economic benefits including jobs and growth, the investment agenda, the social agenda and industrial innovation.

But how to explore and apply strategies of Circular Plastics for Product Design, in the scope of EU Circular Economy Policies, in order to improve sustainability of both product life cycles and companies? And how to take advantage of the resulting opportunities for new products and material life cycles, as well as new circular business models?

This short programme aims to present insights into these topics and examine some existing tools that can help designers, engineers, managers, and entrepreneurs. The underlying principles, concepts and tools are quite relevant in the current global economy in a plethora of thematic areas, and applicable to any industrial sector, although this program will have a particular focus on sectors related to Plastic products.