Abstract

The article shows that the circular economy is more than just a new name for recycling: it is a systemic approach that involves circular use of resources. Understanding the latter is crucial for an industry like design, where as much as 80 percent of waste and the resultant pollution results from decisions taken in the design phase of the product. If we start deliberately changing our design approach from linear to circular by taking different decisions in the planning and design phase, then designers will have to start considering more than one product lifecycle before the design process has even started. In other words, there is an urgent need for a systematic introduction of smart design and deliberate development of circular design. This was also the goal of our research project embedded in the field of design education. By establishing a supply chain that involves partners from the public and private sectors, through a practical example of the potential use of paper in interior design, we sought ways of conveying to the students the urgent need for a different understanding in approaches to the transformation of our environment. By incorporating the principles of circular design into the field of design education, we created the conditions for a new understanding of the wider context of the social, environmental and business model, establishing, as a result, the conditions for different outcomes of final product design.