EDUCATE & INSPIRE
Designers are in a unique position to impact the lifecycle of new products through choices in material selection, construction methods, trim usage & beyond. Many designers have not been exposed to circular design thinking during their training, & most have not seen the impacts of un-disciplined product creation first hand. I regularly (re)educate Design & Product teams on circularity in the industry & at the brand.
Closing the Loop(s)
Team-facing illustration contextualizing the broader system required to support circularity, while highlighting existing programs that bolster the efforts.
Circular Design tenets
Our strategic design process considers these four tenets when crafting our Circular Design products.
In our toolbox & educational sessions, each tenet is thoughtfully expanded upon with relevant brand examples & actionable recommendations.
2. ENABLE & EMPOWER
I built a comprehensive set of tools & resources for product teams outlining exactly how to design products to enable disassembly & cyclability. A Design Principles Menu gives further detail on how to apply circular design thinking such as designing for durability, repairability or modularity based on product type.
3. EXPAND
We launched our first group of 20 Circular Design products in Fall 2022 & have grown the program year over year with over 200 Circular Design products in the Fall 2025 line. The program has been integral to several industry awards since it’s launch - check them out below.
“We talked alot about the environment & the benefits of making a product that would last a lifetime. We truly felt that a product that lasted a lifetime was even more environmentally responsible than one that used recycled materials.
We were all uniformly opposed to planned obsolescence. ”