Circular Design Strategies for "Products that Last" and "Products that Flow"

Product differentiation

We distinguish between different types of products that require different circular design strategies: "Products that Last" and "Products that Flow."

Products that Last

Products that Last are products that last for a long time such as phones, furniture and machines. Here we distinguish the following design strategies:

• Ease of maintenance and repair.
  Goal: (re)design the product so that it is easy to maintain and repair by the user. This keeps the quality of the product longer and makes it less likely to need replacement.
• Sustainability
  Goal: (re)design the product so that it is guaranteed a long life. Optimal product reliability is crucial here.
• Attachment and trust
  Goal: (re)design the product so that that user becomes attached to the product and thus encouraged to treat the product with care and less likely to replace it.
• Adaptability and upgradability.
  Goal: (re)design the product so that there are built-in opportunities to change the product. Modifications can enhance the current functions of the product so that it better meets user needs. Upgrading allows the product to perform different functions and better meet the user needs of future product generations.
• Disassembly and reassembly
  Goal: (re)design the product so that it is easier to disassemble and reassemble the product while maintaining original functions of the various product components.
• Standardization and compatibility.
  Goal: (re)design the product so that it functions better in cooperation with other products or product components.

Watch the video explaining the circular design strategies of "Products that Last" here:

Products that Flow

Products that Flow are short-lived products intended to be used once or for a short period of time. Examples include packaging, disposables and some products in the fashion industry. Here we distinguish the following design strategies:

• Reuse
  Goal: Design the product so that it can be reused multiple times.
• Recycle
  Goal: Design the product to be easily recyclable using recycled content.
• Renew
  Goal: Design the product with bio-based materials and see if fermentation and composting can add value.
• Reduce
  Goal: Minimize the amount of material (flow) while maintaining functionality.
• Rethink
  Goal: Redesign the linear product and system in a circular way.

Watch the video explaining Products that Flow's circular design strategies here:

CIRCO deploys these circular design strategies in its Tracks and Classes. These are training courses for companies and designers. In addition, circular business models are discussed.