About This Course

This course delves into innovative product design within a circular economy, emphasizing longevity and resource-efficiency of materials used in everyday products like phones, computers, and cars. By integrating principles of the 'Design for R'—Reuse, Repair, Remanufacture, and Recycle—this course offers strategies to minimize waste and ensure that products are designed to last longer and are more sustainable.

Leading experts from prominent European universities and research institutions share their insights on overcoming current design challenges that lead to resource depletion and waste, guiding you through the transformative approaches in product design to maintain value and enhance supply chain security.

What Students Will Learn

  • Strategies for "Design for R" including reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling of products.
  • Ways to integrate life-cycle design into personal skill sets and organizational vision.
  • The strategic importance of securing raw material supplies and their conservation.
    • "How to balance value creation with the sustainability demands of industrial processes."
  • Enhancement of strategic design skills for making informed and effective product design decisions.

Pre-requisites or Skills Necessary

This advanced course is intended for individuals with a basic background in design, engineering, and the principles of Circular Economy, including professionals and students in these fields. Participants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of Circular Economy prior to starting this course for maximum understanding and application.

Course Coverage

  • Understanding and applying the principles of "Design for R".
  • Integrating sustainable design into product life-cycles and business models.
  • Strategies for effective resource conservation and waste minimization.
  • Developing products that align with the principles of a circular economy.

Who This Course Is For

This course is tailored for those interested in product design, innovative engineering, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and circular economy. It's ideal for anyone eager to rethink traditional product design and development processes to achieve more sustainable outcomes.

Real-World Application

Learners can apply these skills in various industries to design products that are economically and environmentally sustainable. These practices not only extend the lifecycle of materials but also reduce environmental impact, making them invaluable in sectors striving for sustainability.

Syllabus Overview

  • Week 1: Introduction to the materials challenge and the role of design in a Circular Economy.
  • Week 2: Techniques for designing products for reuse in the context of a sharing economy.
  • Week 3: Methods for designing products that are easy to repair.
  • Week 4: Approaches for remanufacturing products to attain 'as new' condition.
  • Week 5: Best practices for designing products to enhance recyclability.
  • Week 6: Strategies for creating sustainable value and thinking in sustainable loops.