The circular economy is an industrial term that focuses on recycling, upcycling, and reuse instead of the traditional production, usage, and disposal process. With industrialization, circular economy and circular design have become essential for sustainability.

According to the definition made by the European Union (EU), the circular economy is an approach that aims to efficiently use materials and services to maintain, preserve, and minimize the production of waste while keeping the value of products, materials, and resources in the economy as long as possible.

The EU, in its Circular Economy Action Plan, states that it will encourage the expansion of eco-design requirements to increase the reparability, upgradeability, durability, and recyclability of products. According to 'The Circularity Gap Report 2021' published by Circle Economy, circularity is only at 8.6% globally. To close this gap, the rate needs to be at least doubled.

In nature, there's an endless cycle, meaning there's no concept of 'waste'. However, the linear economy model of 'take-make-dispose', which uses raw materials as if they are unlimited since the Industrial Revolution, is clearly not the most efficient model for resource utilization. The unsustainable production and consumption system is expected to triple the global resource use by 2050. So, what can be done from the design phase to ensure sustainability in the circular economy?

Approximately 80% of a product's environmental impact is determined at the design stage. Proper design can save resources, energy, time, and cost.

The increasingly popular 'zero waste' approach forms the basis of the circular economy. Rational design methods primarily target the elimination of waste. Considering the rapid depletion of natural resources in our almost uninhabitable world, it becomes necessary to rapidly popularize the circular design approach.

The first step in circular design is smart material selection. Products should be designed to be more robust, longer-lasting, more durable, and easily repairable. Designing and producing products that are harder to break and wear out can prevent waste generation.

Here is a summary of how to contribute to the circular economy and resist product obsolescence in circular design:

-       Designing products that users will love and use for a long time, thereby extending their usage period.

-       Designing durable products with the right material selection to extend the product's lifespan.

-       Creating modular, multifunctional product designs that allow different furniture parts to be shaped according to need.

-       Producing easy-to-maintain products by ensuring that broken or damaged parts can be easily replaced.

-       Enhancing the efficiency and performance of the product with adaptable, modifiable designs to meet changing user needs.

-       Ensuring all parts and materials can be reused and reproduced with easy-to-assemble and disassemble product designs.