The main aim of this project is to develop methods and tools to support companies to develop circular products and services, that benefit companies, consumers, and the environment.

The existing methods and tools for circular product design focus primarily on issues of production and business rather than the consumers and their needs. Addressing the needs of the consumer has large potential and it makes it relevant to discuss questions such as: How can products be designed for shared use? How can we encourage people to pass their products on to someone else once they no longer have use for them? How can we design products for multiple use-cycles? A first version of a tool to address such questions is used as a base for developing an improved set of methods and tools in this project. Iterations of a tentative toolbox is used in creative workshops to let companies explore how people may obtain, use, and rid their products, in order to identify opportunities for supporting circular paths of consumption from a user-perspective.

The project is funded by the Kamprad Family Foundation and is carried out in collaboration with the service design firm Transformator Design and Hultafors group. In addition, representatives from a number of Swedish companies have contributed to the project by engaging in workshop and discussions.