Circularity and Whole-System Design
What is wrong?
The dominant economy remains based on extraction, short product lifespans, excessive consumption and disposal. Waste is treated as an unavoidable outcome rather than evidence of poor design.
Energy, water, food, materials, housing and public health are usually planned separately.
What is working?
- Repair and reuse systems
- Circular manufacturing
- Industrial symbiosis
- Regenerative design
- Product-as-a-service models
- Community repair cafés
- Materials exchanges
- Extended producer responsibility
- Local production and remanufacturing
Seven discussion questions
- How can products and services be designed so that waste is prevented rather than managed?
- How can communities map the movement of food, water, energy and materials?
- Which products can be repaired, shared, reused or remanufactured locally?
- How can one organization’s waste become another organization’s resource?
- How can public purchasing accelerate circular and regenerative practices?
- What should communities measure beyond economic growth and consumption?
- What system, product or process can participants redesign within 30 days?
Desired outcome:
Create a preliminary local circularity map:
Resource → Current use → Waste point → Recovery opportunity → Potential partner