Seven Core Competencies for Designing Circular Economies
Category: Sustainability · Effect: Strong effect · Year: 2020
Designers require a specific set of seven competencies to effectively create products and services for a circular economy, encompassing assessment, recovery, reuse, business models, user engagement, collaboration, and communication.
Design Takeaway
Integrate the seven identified circular economy competencies into design processes and educational curricula to foster effective circular design practices.
Why It Matters
As the imperative for circularity grows, designers must equip themselves with these specialized skills. Understanding and integrating these competencies will enable the creation of more sustainable products and services, driving innovation and reducing environmental impact.
Key Finding
Designers need specific skills in assessing circular impacts, designing for recovery and reuse, understanding circular business models, engaging users, collaborating, and communicating circular concepts. Practical tools and methods are still emerging.
Key Findings
- Seven key competencies for designing circular economies were identified: Circular Impact Assessment, Design for Recovery, Design for Multiple Use Cycles, Circular Business Models, Circular User Engagement, Circular Economy Collaboration, and Circular Economy Communication.
- Systems Thinking, though cited in literature, was not strongly evidenced as a practical competency in the interviews.
- Methods and tools for designing circular economies are still underdeveloped.
Research Evidence
Aim: What are the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes (competencies) designers need to successfully design for a circular economy?
Method: Qualitative research combining literature review and semi-structured interviews.
Procedure: The researchers reviewed existing literature on circular economy competencies for design and conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with design professionals to identify practical competencies. Findings were then categorized using a general sustainability competencies framework.
Sample Size: 18 design professionals
Context: Design practice focused on circular economy principles.
Design Principle
Effective circular design necessitates a specialized skill set encompassing impact assessment, material/product lifecycle management, business model innovation, user interaction, and collaborative communication.
How to Apply
Incorporate modules on circular impact assessment, design for disassembly/recovery, circular business models, and stakeholder collaboration into design projects and training programs.
Limitations
The study did not find evidence for the Systems Thinking competency in practice, which may be a limitation in understanding the full scope of required skills. The availability and maturity of tools and methods are also noted as a challenge.
Student Guide (IB Design Technology)
Simple Explanation: To design things that are good for the planet and can be reused or recycled, designers need to learn specific skills like checking environmental impact, making things easy to take apart, understanding how to make money from reuse, and working well with others.
Why This Matters: Understanding these competencies helps you design more responsibly and create products that contribute to a sustainable future, which is increasingly important in the design industry.
Critical Thinking: To what extent does the absence of 'Systems Thinking' as a practical competency in this study indicate a gap in current design practice, or a limitation in the study's methodology?
IA-Ready Paragraph: This research identifies seven critical competencies for designing within a circular economy: Circular Impact Assessment, Design for Recovery, Design for Multiple Use Cycles, Circular Business Models, Circular User Engagement, Circular Economy Collaboration, and Circular Economy Communication. These competencies provide a framework for developing sustainable design solutions and highlight the need for specialized skills and tools in this emerging field.
Project Tips
- When researching circular economy products, focus on identifying how they address the seven core competencies.
- Consider how your own design project can incorporate and demonstrate these competencies.
How to Use in IA
- Use the identified competencies to structure your research into existing circular products or to define the requirements for your own design solution.
Examiner Tips
- Look for evidence that the design project has considered the practical application of circular economy principles, not just theoretical concepts.
Independent Variable: Designers' knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to circular economy principles.
Dependent Variable: The identification and categorization of circular economy competencies for design.
Controlled Variables: The domain of product and service design.
Strengths
- Combines academic literature with real-world professional insights.
- Provides a structured framework of competencies for a complex field.
Critical Questions
- How can these competencies be effectively taught and assessed in design education?
- What are the most significant barriers to designers acquiring and applying these competencies in practice?
Extended Essay Application
- An Extended Essay could explore the development of a new tool or methodology to support one of the identified circular economy competencies, or investigate the integration of these competencies into a specific design discipline.
Source
Circular Economy Competencies for Design · Sustainability · 2020 · 10.3390/su12041561