Planet centric and Circular Design

None

As Radjou and Prabhu mention in their book “Frugal Innovation” (2015), over 70 percent of the life cycle costs and ecological footprint of a product are determined in the design phase. In this respect, the entire design process must be based on the principles of planet-centered and circular design in order to develop socially and ecologically sustainable solutions while preserving planetary boundaries.

The course conveys

• a systemic view of global challenges as well as a deeper understanding of ecological principles, social and economic dimensions of sustainability
• an understanding of planet-centered design philosophy, which is reflected in sustainability-oriented approaches to product and innovation development.
• various dimensions and models of sustainability, indices and measures of sustainability (e.g. Triple Bottom Line (TBL); environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• the theoretical and methodological knowledge that enables an investigation of the complex interplay between people, the economy and the environment
• Knowledge of approaches to sustainability-oriented innovation development
• Knowledge of the principles and strategy of the circular economy (e.g. cradle to cradle, repair, sharing, the product as a service, etc.) as well as the phases of the Ciruclar design process and corresponding methods (e.g. ecosystem mapping, product journey mapping).
• Knowledge of the role of communication in conveying sustainability-oriented ways of thinking and living
• Link to the knowledge imparted in the "Life Sciences" course

Using examples from various innovative social movements (such as open source, collaborative consumption), the students familiarize themselves with the central principles of circular design.

As part of projects in small groups, prototypical approaches for sustainable innovations are developed using circular design strategies.

• The students understand the planet-centered design philosophy and know the corresponding methodical approaches to implement them in design processes.
• The students are familiar with the multidisciplinary further development of user-centered to planet-centered design approaches that focus on sustainability issues in the sense of preserving planetary boundaries.
• The students are familiar with the dimensions of sustainability (social, ecological, economic) and know models and indices to evaluate them.
• They can describe various measures of sustainability (such as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL); environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)).
• The students know cybernetic-systemic approaches that can be used for the analysis of complex systems.
• The students are able to relate the knowledge acquired in the course “Biosciences” to the content of this course.
• They will be able to assess the impact of design decisions on the ecological balance of our planet.
• The students are familiar with the principles and strategies of the circular economy (such as cradle to cradle, repair, sharing, the product as a service, etc.) as well as the phases of the Ciruclar design process and corresponding methods (such as ecosystem mapping, product journey mapping) can apply these in projects for the development of prototype solutions.

Lecture / discussion / project work in small groups

Project work in small groups, presentation, reflection work (in combination with the course "Scientific work")

None

• Design Council (2021): Beyond Net Zero. A Systemic Design Approach. London, online unter: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/Beyond%20Net%20Zero%20-%20A%20Systemic%20Design%20Approach.pdf (letzter Zugriff 10.10. 2021)
• Pastoors, Sven u.a. (2017): Towards Sustainable Innovation. A five step approach to sustainable change. Baden-Baden: Tectum Verlag.
• Radjou, Navi;  Prabhu, Jaideep (2015): Frugal Innovation. How to do more with less. London: Profile Books Ldt.
• Owners, Jonathyn (2019): Impossible and MakeSense. Planet Centric Design Toolkit. Online unter: http://impossible.earth/pages/intro/ (letzter Zugriff: 12.10. 2021)
• Ceschin, Fabrizio; Gaziulusoy, Idil (2019): Design for Sustainability. A Multi-level Framework from Products to Socio-technical Systems. London: Routledge.
• Lovins, Amory B.; Brauingart, Michael; Stahel, Walter R. (2014): A New Dynamic. Effective Business in a Circular Economy. Ellen MacArthur Found. Publ.
• McDonough, William;  Braungart, Michael (2009): Cradle to cradle. Remaking the way we make things. California: North Point Press.

Face-to-face instruction