Circular Design - Ideo Worksheets
Circular Design - Ideo Worksheets
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WORKSHEET
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Circular flows
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At its core, a circular economy means that products no longer have a
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life cycle with a beginning, middle, and end, and therefore contributes
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less waste and can actually add value to their ecosystem. When
materials stop getting used, they go back into a useful cycle, hence
the circular economy. Imagine what would happen if everything was
designed to be restorative and regenerative?
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STEPS
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Download the Circular Flows Worksheet and get acquainted with
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the different ways of being circular. At a glance, which of these
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loops feels most relevant or achievable for what you are designing?
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If you are working with an existing product or service, consider it's
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current position within the flows.
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Now dive deeper, and go through each loop as a lens for your new
product or service. For each loop, ask yourself: “What would it take
for this to work for my new product or service idea? and “What’s
standing in my way from this working now?”
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You may notice that there is a pattern as you go from the inner
loops to the outer loops: the inner, tighter loops preserve more
value and embedded energy.
• Reused goes directly back to your users
• Refurbished comes back to you (as the service provider) •
Remanufactured goes through the manufacture process
Ask yourself, can you try to stay in the inner loops? What would I be
able to affect right now? Once you feel like you have a starting
point, try the Circular Opportunities activity or the Service Flip which
might prompt different ideas.
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WORKSHEET
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Circular flows
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Get acquainted with the different ways of
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being circular. At a glance, which of these
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WORKSHEET
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Brainstorm some of the cycles that your
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FOR MY PRODUCT?
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IT GETS REUSED
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You extend how long a product or
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material stays in use. This might
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mean offering a product as a
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service, as in car sharing schemes.
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e.g. ZIPCAR
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IT GETS REFURBISHED
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IT GETS RECYCLED
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back to the soil. For instance, if
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incineration.
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e.g. PATAGONIA
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EXTRACTED
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