About Circonnect

Circular design is the way to embed sustainability at a company's core. Simply because 80% of the environmental impact of a product or service is determined in the design phase. This is an important insight because companies that take circular steps have the wind in their sails. They reduce their carbon footprint and strengthen their business. They manage to retain employees and customers better. If only because their products remain relevant throughout their life cycle. They use raw materials and energy more efficiently, saving costs and reducing their impact on the climate and the environment. They can fulfill their own sustainability and business ambitions while complying with new laws and regulations. They reap the benefits now and are better prepared for the future.

Changing an organization is not easy.

It is a complex process that requires you to answer many questions:

What are you already doing and what do you still need to move forward? Where is the bottleneck?
What does it mean for your product design when you embark on a circular business model?
How do you find and maintain connection within the chain?
How do you take steps that immediately strengthen the organization and future-proof that organization on top of that?

These questions often require new and applicable knowledge. Knowledge institutions, industry associations, the design sector, regional accelerators and government organizations are joining forces in the Circonnect program. They make knowledge of circular design available in applicable form and share it widely with companies and designers. With practical tools and knowledge we bridge the gap between rules and reality and between science and the shop floor. And provide practical everything for circular design. With the goal of accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

Circonnect is a program of CLICKNL, made possible by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Circonnect: Inspiring, connecting and bringing together

On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, fifteen parties came together for the official launch of Circonnect. TU Delft / Industrial Design Engineering, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Zuyd Hogeschool, Rijkswaterstaat, TNO, Beroepsorganisatie Nederlandse Ontwerpers, CBM, Midpoint Brabant, Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken, Federatie NRK, Versnellingshuis Nederland Circulair, Oost NL, NICE, Provincie Overijssel and CIRCO jointly underline the ambition of CIRCONNECT:

Circonnect aims to enable companies and designers to realize circular innovation and build a future-proof enterprise. By joining the forces of organizations working on circular design at different levels and from a variety of disciplines. Together, the partners involved ensure that companies and designers have tailored and applicable design tools and scientific and practical knowledge about circular design that support them in solving specific design challenges they face.

Circular design as a motor for raw materials transition

By 2050, the Dutch economy must have transformed from the current linear model to a sustainable circular system. In a circular economy, products retain their value longer and raw materials are reused again and again. Circular design is the driving force behind this. After all, a large part of the environmental impact of an end product is already determined in the design phase. A sustainable economy is only created by thinking about value retention and the recovery of raw materials during the design phase.

In recent years, much research and experience has already been done on circular design strategies and business models. To be fully circular by 2050, it is essential that this knowledge and experience be available to a wide audience. Circonnect brings together experiences from different disciplines to make them accessible to designers, entrepreneurs, policy makers, research and education.

A major challenge for Circonnect is to bring knowledge from all these partners to designers and companies in an accessible way. There are many thick reports and generally people don't feel like reading them. We tell them: this is what the report says, and if you're working on this subject, that's what's handy to have.

Pieter van Os CIRCO program manager

Circonnect is an important initiative. It is time to start sharing knowledge and experience gained about circular design widely. Knowledge that the creative industry can use in the development of circular business models. And from which all sectors and stakeholders can benefit.

Bart Ahsmann Director TKI CLICKNL

The circular plastics chain is the spearhead for us in the coming years. Designers play a major role in this because they determine whether or not a product is circular. The right knowledge, tools and connections are crucial and Circonnect provides the platform for that. Our companies have a lot of experience in chain cooperation and are happy to share their knowledge to realize the circular plastics chain together with designers.

Martin van Dord Innovation coach NRK and ChemistryNL

The importance of making circular design knowledge and information widely available and accessible cannot be overemphasized. I warmly applaud the Circonnect initiative.

Dr. Conny Bakker Professor of Design Methodology for Sustainability and Circular Economy, TU Delft

Meet our partners

These parties are joining forces to share, enrich and disseminate common knowledge of circular design.

Partners

About Circonnect

Changing an organization is not easy.

Circonnect: Inspiring, connecting and bringing together

Circular design as a motor for raw materials transition

Meet our partners

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