Recently, I
undertook a small, qualitative survey of the role of designers in the plastics value
chain in the Netherlands, and the potential for circular design. The background
for this survey was the Plastics Value Chain Agreement.
Plastics Value Chain Agreement
This agreement was concluded in
November 2013 between 55 parties from business, government, research, and environmental
organisations, and is aimed at creating a sustainable market for the entire
production and consumption chain from raw materials to plastic products, the
use of these products by companies and consumers, as well as the reuse of
materials and products once they have been disposed of. This plastic cycle is
being formed as far as possible by sustainability in the production processes,
by product engineering and design focusing on widespread reuse and by
collecting and sorting plastic waste streams in an environmentally friendly
way, and by physically or chemically turning them into new raw materials and
products of the highest possible quality, thereby preventing ‘leaks’ from the
cycles’ system as far as possible.
For the
survey, I undertook a round of interviews with about 25 people in the sectors
of (industrial) design, research and higher education, manufacturing, and
recycling.
I found
that plastics production is a complex and diversified value chain. There are
many kinds of polymers, products, markets, and all have their own
characteristics. The role of the designer in the plastics value chain is not an
easy one to grasp.
When we
talk about circular design, what do we
mean?
There are
different perspectives, with some people focusing on design for recycling or
even design for longevity, and others looking at possibilities to design for
products made from recycled material. Circular design is being used to
encompass all these perspectives. It takes a life-cycle perspective at products
and tries to go for the best option from an environmental point of view.
An
important feature of circular design is the emphasis on the need for new business models. Not only the
product is being redesigned, but the chains of supply and the ways by which customer
needs are satisfied as well. When you supply a function, or accompany a product
with a service (say, maintenance), the relationship between supplier and
customer changes. So a designer has to look not only at the product, but also
at the wider context, including the product’s functions and the needs it
fulfils.
Circular design has to get rid of
the image that it is about ‘doing creative things with waste’. Instead, it
should focus on a transition in the way we do business and create added value.
Conny
Bakker, TU Delft
The
designers I spoke to are well-educated and well-informed about sustainability. They
know about recycled materials and life-cycle analyses, and they are willing to
try and convince producers, marketers and consumers of the possibilities of sustainable
design. They have also discovered the importance of different ways of
organizing the product development process. Maybe they are not representative
for the profession as a whole. But they are an inspiring group of frontrunners
who might be able to make change happen.
These
designers mentioned several stumbling
blocks for circular design that they encountered. When it came to the use
of recycled materials, the limited availability of sufficiently large supplies
of recycled material of a consistent quality was an important bottleneck.
Furthermore, designers and manufacturers mentioned the (negative) image and
perceived aesthetics of recycled materials, and the lack of knowledge,
especially with producers, of the possibilities of recycled materials. Other
obstructions to the functioning of a circular economy in the plastics chain
that were mentioned are the lack of transparency on the quality of recycled materials
on the market; and legislation.
What can be done?
An essential step would be to increase
technical knowledge of materials and their applications through research and
development. For innovations to be brought to the market, public and private partners
need to look at the options for sharing risks, sharing knowledge and open
innovation.
Technical
universities and universities for applied science are doing research and
developing courses on sustainable design and on recycling. It remains necessary,
however, to mainstream recycling
knowledge and sustainability knowledge into
curricula of design engineering. Also, more attention can be paid to updating
professionals’ skills and knowledge, e.g. of 3D-printing.
It isn’t
enough to increase knowledge about circular design. There is also the position of
the designer in the value chain to consider. Designers are not always in a
position of sufficient power to implement change. They can mediate between
producer and material supplier, but if they do not have enough bargaining
power, they won’t be able to acquire materials of sufficient quality. And to be
able to persuade producers to try more innovative and sustainable options
requires not only knowledge of recycled materials, but also experience, a
relationship of trust, and the willingness to explore consumer markets. Some
are already showing the way, and there are fine
examples of sustainable design on the market, for instance the Ahrend 360
chair, Interface carpet tiles or the Philips Eco-Senseo.
So, a first
step on the way to increase the market for sustainably designed products is to show what is already possible. What we
need to do is showcase examples of well-designed (consumer) products of recycled
material, of design for recycling, of product-service-systems and new business
models, to a wide audience. A next step could be to come up with easy-to-follow guidelines for designing
with recycled materials. And last but not least, a dialogue between actors in the value chain should take off aimed at
concrete cooperation and actions.
Much has
been said about legislation, especially European
legislation standing in the way of the circular economy. Present European
legislation, by strictly regulating the management of hazardous waste and
dangerous substances, is felt to create obstacles to the use of recycled
plastics, and the circular economy in general. Maybe it is time to amend some
of the legislation, without losing sight of the protection of health and
environmental safety.
The coming
months will see a fresh round of discussions on the circular economy in
Brussels, after new policy outlines were published last week. Designers, too,
might want to seize the opportunity to make themselves heard.
In the
Netherlands, the Plastics Value Chain Agreement is set to move into concrete action and explore new
ways of collaboration. If you want to get involved, look at the (Dutch) website:
http://www.kunststofkringloop.nl
Ilia Neudecker
Senior adviser, Foxgloves consultancy – towards a sustainable Europe
