How can design science contribute to a circular economy?

DS 87-5 Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED 17) Vol 5: Design for X, Design to X, Vancouver, Canada, 21-25.08.2017

Year: 2017
Editor: Anja Maier, Stanko Škec, Harrison Kim, Michael Kokkolaras, Josef Oehmen, Georges Fadel, Filippo Salustri, Mike Van der Loos
Author: Pigosso, Daniela; McAloone, Tim
Series: ICED
Institution: Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Section: Design for X, Design to X
Page(s): 299-307
ISBN: 978-1-904670-93-3
ISSN: 2220-4342

Abstract

Circular Economy is increasingly seen as a key approach to operationalising goals and supporting the transition to a sustainable society by enhancing competitiveness and economic growth. Creating a Circular Economy requires fundamental changes throughout the value chain, from innovation, product design and production processes all the way to end of life, new business models and consumption patterns. This paper explores how design science can support the transition from the traditional linear ‘take-make-consume-dispose’ approach, to a Circular Economy. By means of a systematic literature review, this paper discusses the role of a set of design topics in this transition.

Keywords: Circular economy, Sustainability, Design for X (DfX)

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