Rumo aos desafios da economia circular : ferramentas de apoio a uma nova estratégia na prática de design

ABSTRACT : The circular economy is a new strategic concept to meet society's needs in a more efficient and sustainable manner based in decoupling the economic growth and welfare from the increase in the consumption of natural resources. It implies the transition from the traditional linear model to a more innovative and circular approach in the development of the economy by designing new products, new services, and new systems, supported, in most cases, by the re-thinking and creation of new business models. Designers and product developers have an important and crucial role to achieve a successful and wide implementation of the concept which has to be accepted and applied in practice by businesses along the whole value chain and meet the current and future needs of consumers and the society. Currently, several methods, principles, practices, tools, training initiatives, and many resources are being developed globally as a result of the wide exploitation of the concept, but there is still a large gap between what is available to companies and designers, and what is applied in practice on product and service development. This paper reflects part of the PhD research project under development by the authors which is based on the promotion of the design practice within Circular Economy. It explores the results of the review of circularity tools available that can be used by design professionals to systematize and guide their development process. The analysis will support the development of a toolkit and guidelines oriented for the practical implementation of the circular economy in the development of innovative and efficient products and services. (Camocho, Ferreira, & Vicente, 2018).A economia circular é um novo conceito estratégico que visa responder às necessidades da sociedade de uma forma mais eficiente e sustentável que se baseia na dissociação entre crescimento económico e bem-estar do aumento do consumo de recursos naturais. Esta transição, do modelo linear tradicional para uma abordagem mais inovadora e circular no desenvolvimento da economia implica o desenvolvimento de novos produtos, novos serviços e novos sistemas, apoiados, na maioria dos casos, no repensar e na criação de novos modelos de negócio. Os designers e os responsáveis pelo desenvolvimento de produtos têm um papel importante e crucial para alcançar uma implementação ampla e bem-sucedida do conceito. Este deve ser aceite e aplicado na prática pelas empresas ao longo de toda a cadeia de valor atendendo às necessidades atuais e futuras dos consumidores e da sociedade. Atualmente, vários métodos, princípios, práticas, ferramentas, iniciativas de formação e outros recursos têm sido desenvolvidos globalmente como resultado da ampla exploração do conceito, no entanto, ainda existe uma grande lacuna entre o que está disponível para empresas e designers e o que é aplicado na prática no desenvolvimento de produtos e serviços. Este artigo reflete parte do projeto de investigação de doutoramento em desenvolvimento pelos autores, o qual se baseia na promoção da prática de design no âmbito da Economia Circular. Explora os resultados da revisão de ferramentas de circularidade disponíveis que podem ser aplicadas pelos profissionais de design na sistematização e orientação do processo de desenvolvimento. Esta análise irá apoiar o desenvolvimento de um conjunto de ferramentas e orientações para a implementação prática da economia circular no desenvolvimento de produtos e serviços mais inovadores e mais eficientes. (Camocho, Ferreira & Vicente, 2018).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transition to circular and sustainable economy through design

The evolution of society and the increase in consumption of products to meet more and more consumer needs is taking society to a breaking point that, if surpassed, will hardly have a return, jeopardizing the future generations. Since the mid-1970s, it has been realized that the current model is unsustainable and that a new approach to production and consumption is needed towards a more sustainable society with added value for all stakeholders in the value chain. In this context, designers have a fundamental role in the development of innovative and sustainable solutions that meet the needs of both consumers, producers, and society in general. Currently, the Circular Economy is seen as an approach to Sustainability with great potential for success and which is being the target of numerous research and development projects and initiatives, of practical application in companies, public funding, and education. However, despite all efforts in this direction, there is still a large gap between theory and practice. There is a need to support the practice of Design with methods and tools that allow the transposition of circularity strategies in the development of effective solutions that result in sustainable and circular products and services adjusted to the needs of all actors involved in the value chain. In order to meet these needs, the research carried out in this PhD Thesis resulted in the development of the Rounding the vertices, Design for the Circular Economy toolkit, which includes a set of practical implementation tools, aligned with the Design process and which is also a didactic tool to support designers in their projects and in the identification and development of innovative and circular solutions for projects

Design for Sustainability Tools: Categories of classification towards practical use

Since the emergence of early approaches to design for the environment (such as green design or ecodesign), several tools have been developed to support the design process in the integration of environmental, social and, more recently in a comprehensive way, sustainability and circularity criteria. The vast quantity and diversity of tools have required the creation of ways to organize and classify them to facilitate their identification, selection and use by designers, engineers, and other product development professionals, according to the needs of the design practice objectives, and the specificities of the project.This paper aims to analyze the existing knowledge regarding design for sustainability and circularity tools to identify the main categories used to classify these tools. This was done with the aim of synthesizing the most appropriate classification from the point of view of the product designer who will use the tools. To achieve this, the methodology of literature review was employed, which included scientific papers, theses, and reference books in the field.This analysis gathered a wide diversity of classification forms and organized them into 6 overarching categories. It was also possible to verify that certain forms of classification are not particularly relevant for designers when selecting a tool, as they don’t clarify the feasibility of applying the tool. It is possible to conclude that there is still a need for homogenization and consensus in academia regarding the best way to classify these tools so that the classification is scientifically sound and useful for designers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The common-sense assessment of sustainability

ABSTRACT: Products claiming sustainability benefits have been spreading all over the world in response, manly, to the consumer’s behavior change towards a healthier and more sustainable way of life. However, what guarantee do consumers have that the products they are consuming are in fact more sustainable? Apart from certified products, the consumer believes in a common-sense assessment of sustainability supported in part by self-declarations and allegations from designers, producers, and retailers focusing only in few aspects of the life cycle, and in some cases, misleading consumers through greenwashing approaches. This paper is part of a Ph.D. research aiming to support a transition to circular economy and sustainability through design. The authors explore in this article the consumer perceptions of sustainability in products and communication strategies adopted. The results will support the development of guidelines to promote a more effective design practice for the development of sustainable and circular economy-based products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Circular and sustainable products : from theory into practice

ABSTRACT: Circular economy is seen as an innovative path with the potential to achieve a more sustainable society. In this context, and, facing high pressure and motivation from governments, many research projects and initiatives are being developed all over the world. However, we still have a long road ahead in translating the theory and research outputs into practice. For example, in the recently launched report “The circularity Gap report” published by Circular economy in January 2019, our society is only 9% circular and the trend is still negative, the circularity gap is not closing and the upward trend in resource extraction and greenhouse gas emissions has continued in the past 12 months (Circle economy, 2019). In the circular approach to product and service development, which entails fundamental changes in production and consumption systems, where it is necessary to go beyond resource efficiency and recycling (European Environment Agency, 2017), it’s clear the importance of design as an integrating agent in the process. Design professionals, through a redesigned approach to the design practice, applying efficient tools and comprehensive life cycle methods, have the challenge and the potential to transform products, services, and business models. The work presented in the current paper is part of a research project (Camocho, Ferreira, & Vicente, 2018) which aims to support the transition to circular and sustainable economy through design where the authors will explore the current practice, methods, tools and communication elements applied in the development and placement in the market of products claiming to be sustainable and/or circular. The pilot study presented in the paper aims to demonstrate and validate the procedure for the analysis of the process that underlays a representative sample of Portuguese products. The research aims to identify which are the real needs, drivers and barriers faced by designers and product developers in the circular design and development process. The results of the work will underpin a holistic approach, sparking critical thinking and supporting a more efficient design practice for a circular production and consumption.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pressure cooker under pressure: implementation of life cycle strategies and tools in a medium sized industry in Portugal

This paper concerns the application of a set of life cycle oriented strategies and tools to a pressure cooker manufactured by a medium size company located in Portugal and targeting the international market. The life cycle assessment (LCA) indicated the major environmental problems of this product, which together with the company strategy of appealing the consumer through a 100% recyclable and more ergonomic product, provided the direction for the product and market development. Besides the LCA, an ecodesign project was carried out for a reference pressure cooker and through the use of several tools, including ecodesign checklists co-developed by LNEG in a previous project, a number of improvement options was generated, leading to the reduction and substitution of raw materials consumption, improved recyclability, better ergonomic features, more eco-friendly packaging and improved user interaction. A simplified environmental product declaration for the reference product was elaborated, in the framework of the EU Stepwise EPD project, and its marketing asset was evaluated through different communication methods, including phone meetings, website feedback, mailing lists and direct communication with customers in business fairs. This paper presents the results of this project and the characteristics of the improved product, and reflects upon the use of different life cycle-related strategies and tools in an integrated way; thus, this case study contributes to the understanding of the pros and cons of implementing life cycle strategies and tools in businesses

Product-Service development for circular economy and sustainability course

ABSTRACT: This book is an output of the ERASMUS+ KATCH_e project. KATCH_e stands for “Knowledge Alliance on Product-Service Development towards Circular Economy and Sustainability in Higher Education”. This was a 3-year project (2017-2019), aiming to address the challenge of reinforcing skills and competences in Higher Education and within the business community, in the field of product-service development for the circular economy and sustainability, with a particular focus on the construction and furniture sectors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Criar Valor Sustentável – Caso de Estudo MRodrigues

Este artigo foca as melhorias obtidas pela empresa MRodrigues, do sector metalomecânico, como resultado da aplicação da metodologia Valor Sustentável (VS), desenvolvida pelo INETI no âmbito do Projecto DEUSA . A metodologia VS, seguindo uma estratégia de eco-eficiência empresarial e resultando da combinação entre Produção Mais Limpa e Análise do Valor e da ampla experiência de aplicação destas duas ferramentas de gestão, encoraja as empresas a tornarem-se mais competitivas, mais inovadoras e mais responsáveis, levando-as a repensarem continuamente as suas actividades e produtos numa perspectiva de sustentabilidade. A sua aplicação, procurando melhorar a produtividade de recursos, a eco-eficiência de processos e produtos, a competitividade e a satisfação das necessidades, tendo por base preocupações económicas, ambientais e sociais, resulta na criação de Valor Sustentável para as empresas. A empresa MRodrigues aplicou-a ao seu processo de fabrico, com resultados evidentes também ao nível dos seus produtos

How to measure the value from a sustainable point of view

Entrepreneurial activities must change when taking into account Sustainable Development paradigm. A new way of evaluating enterprises’ performance which incorporates economical, environmental and social criteria is necessary. Any organisation can no longer work as a “black box”. Society wants to know about the impacts of inputs and outputs of companies’ activities and therefore a continuous process of transparency, communication and continuous improvement is required. Therefore the Value of a company can no longer be seen only as the profi t for its shareholders, but must be extended in an objective way to the other elements of Sustainability: the social and environmental criteria. If Top Management and the VA team are sensitized for the Sustainability principles and for their contribution in creating Value, these aspects will be integrated in the company’s strategic management so that they will contribute for its viability in the long term. This paper aims at presenting a specifi c methodology to support the process of decision making at the level of the practices related to increasing Value towards a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Development. After a study of the possible synergies between tools used by Value Management (mainly Value Analysis) and Environmental Management (Cleaner Production, Eco effi ciency, among others) a methodology, joining them and profi ting from their synergies was developed and tested in several companies