WE ARE CONSTANTLY PRODUCING LOADS OF SH*T

Our phone breaks – we get a new one. We buy food – it’s covered in plastic packaging. You get the gist. Considering that 45% of global emissions come from the production of the products we use everyday, something has to change – and that change needs to happen now.
Our current system exploits both people and the planet. It can be hard to reimagine the world in which we want to live. But there is hope. Given that over 80% of product-related environmental impacts are determined in the design phase, designers are in an incredible position to redesign the way we live using circular design. Circular design gives us the tools to prevent the creation of waste and pollution right from the start, and build a liveable future for all.

MAKE IT CIRCULAR OR NOT AT ALL

For WDCD’s co-founder and creative director Richard van der Laken, “Creatives and designers often create out of frustration about how things work, or don’t! This campaign aims to get creatives to put their anger into action. We want designers to think about what frustrates them and encourage them to redesign a fairer, more sustainable world that works for people and planet. ” This realisation prompted a series of opinion pieces and the global video campaign. Published in Dutch newspaper Trouw and industry outlet Adformatie, the opinion piece posed a question to audiences around the world: I want a toaster with screws. Make it circular, or don’t make it at all.

DESIGNERS, GET IN THE LOOP

Venturing some ideas in the video campaign are four renowned design thinkers — Arthur Huang, Poonam Bir Kasturi, Carla Fernandez, and Bas van Abel — who weigh in on why it’s time to build a circular society.
By providing a space to leading figures in our industry to let out their frustrations with destructive design, this campaign aims to spark an honest dialogue about the designer’s responsibility to redesign a fairer and more sustainable world. Peppered with refreshingly honest anecdotes and sharp insights, each video is a glimpse into what made each designer champion circular design. On this, all four thinkers agreed: ditch designing for throwaway culture and embrace a circular society that respects both people and nature.