The designer, a crucial ally for the circular economy

A product designed to last, to be easy to repair, to dismantle, and finally to recycle and avoid waste. But it's also also essential that it be practical and bring real added value to its users. Clio Brzakala, Director of Wallonie Design

A reusable product

This strategy involves designing a product so that it can be reused by new users. It will therefore be essential to work with other specialists to extend both its physical (engineer) and emotional lifespan. "By giving the product more value, we ensure that its user will take better care of it, and even want to pass it on".

Kewlox's modular furniture in Eghezée is remarkably resistant to wear and tear: its structure is guaranteed for life. Kewlox customers have formed a real community of fans over the past 60 years, and this furniture is very expensive to buy second-hand.

A refurbished product... only better

Here, the designer thinks about the product's evolution from the outset and and ensure that components can be reused to a large extent reused, enabling the initial product to be refurbished on a regular basis. He ensure that parts are assembled in such a way that they can be easily disassembled, their standardization, their compatibility with possible evolutions and product updates. The aim is to minimize the need for new materials so that the manufacturer can recreate a new product.

Incidentally, the product designed in this way can even be "sold" in the form of a service subscription. in the form of a service subscription. The manufacturer retains ownership of the product, which it rents out to its users by regularly refurbishing or or updated.

Reusable parts... elsewhere

By using standardized parts, the designer can even go one step further disassemble them so that they can be reused in the manufacture of other products. in the manufacture of other products: this is reconditioning. This is an interesting approach in the increasingly frequent case of shortage of certain components.

It is in the interest of manufacturers to establish a direct and lasting relationship relationship with users, not only to enable them to be easily found but also provide valuable feedback on the use of their products. on the use of their products, and on the behavior of parts parts.

No obstacles to recycling

The designer can finally design products that eliminate all obstacles to obstacles to recycling. This means limiting the number of different materials the use of adhesives, colorants and coatings, the use of hazardous or contaminating materials. Some designers are even designing consumable packaging for food products. There's even no need to recycle them!

Designer Vanessa Colignon (Design for Resilience), for example, designs hemp and linen products that are biodegradable in a household compost. Her dishwashing gloves are made by Ceetex in Hérinne-lez-Pecq. Returning to the earth is the best recycling possible".

Around the product too

Design also helps to minimize certain aspects related to the product itself, which have an impact on resources: transport, packaging, storage, installation, maintenance, cleaning, etc. IOL Strategic Design's involvement with the BANDI tables in Awans, for example, was decisive in reducing logistics costs while retaining its unique design and 100% local production.

"Clio Brzakala concludes: "We have no choice but to design more and more 'green' products, and designers have a key role to play in this, as they help to reconcile the difficult balance between the ideal technical solution and the best possible public acceptance.