Circularity Resources
Are you inspired by circular design and wish to find out how to use it to change the way we live, work, play and do business? Explore a selection of websites, books and ebooks, reports and links to organisations and businesses in Hong Kong, the Netherlands and around the world that are working to change to a circular economy.
Listen to a 4-part podcast series where designers and makers featured in the exhibition talk about their projects and journey in designing circular systems.
WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE
The greenhouse gas emissions generated by our current lifestyle and consumption patterns are the cause of climate change. Changing from a linear to a circular economy is an important contribution to lowering carbon emissions and limiting climate change.
Find out more about climate change on the Hong Kong Observatory website.
OUR HIDDEN IMPACT
The Our Hidden Impact author Babette Porcelijn explains in simple and clear terms how the choices we make impact our climate. She offers practical advice to help make informed decisions to limit your impact. Try out the interactive tool on the book’s website to discover your hidden impact.
CALCULATE YOUR CLIMATE IMPACT
Calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of your lifestyle on this calculator provided by ‘Hong Kong 2050 is Now’, a platform advocating climate action in Hong Kong.
SIMPLE CHANGES YOU CAN MAKE TO REDUCE CLIMATE IMPACT
With This is a Good Guide, author Marieke Eyskoot helps readers make their lifestyle more sustainable with practical changes that require limited effort, time and money.
WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY?
The circular economy can contribute to limiting the effects of climate change. This introduction developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, explains how a circular economy works.
GLOSSARY: THE LANGUAGE OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
While transitioning from a linear to a circular economy, it is important that we all speak and use the same language. This glossary, developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, gives simple and clear definitions of the key concepts and terms to use when talking about circularity.
HOW CIRCULAR IS HONG KONG?
“Circular Economy” practice is not a new concept to Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s recycling business plays an important role in resources recovery. The 3R concept – reduce, reuse, and recycle – is familiar to people in Hong Kong as part of public education. This report, prepared by the Business Environment Council, evaluates how circular the Hong Kong economy already is, and includes recommendations on how to promote and achieve full circularity in Hong Kong.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY POLICIES: CHINA
Around the world, national governments are developing and implementing policies to promote and facilitate the change to a circular economy.
As early as 2008, China’s 13th five-year plan already included a law to promote a circular economy. The ‘14th Five-Year Plan for Circular Economy Development’ was announced by China’s National Development and Reform Commission in 2021. The plan included measures to support and develop reuse recycling and remanufacturing systems in urban and industrial areas, and to support the reduction of packaging waste.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY POLICY: HONG KONG
Around the world, national governments are developing and implementing policies to promote and facilitate the change to a circular economy.
In 2021, the Hong Kong government announced the Climate Action Plan 2050 and the Waste Blueprint 2035, which incorporate several circular economy principles, such as zero carbon energy and producer responsibility.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY POLICIES: THE EU & THE NETHERLANDS
Around the world, national governments are developing and implementing policies to promote and facilitate the change to a circular economy.
The Netherlands government is implementing a detailed programme to achieve a fully circular economy by 2050, in line with the Circular Economy Action Plan of the European Union and the Paris Agreement.
THE BEGINNINGS OF CIRCULAR DESIGN
The concept of circular design was first popularised by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their 2002 book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.
THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF CIRCULAR DESIGN
The key principles of designing for a circular economy are summarised in this guide.
The guide was developed by the Ellen MacArthur foundation in collaboration with design consultancy IDEO.
WHY CIRCULARITY REQUIRES NEW BUSINESS MODELS
In Material Matters, authors Rau and Obenhauer explore how to achieve circularity through new business models, ‘in which consumers are users rather than owners, one in which materials are awarded rights—and waste has become a thing of the past’.
USING DESIGN TO TRANSITION TO CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS
The non-profit organisation CIRCO – with support from the Dutch government – encourages entrepreneurs and creative professionals to (re)design products, services and business models that employ a circular business process. Self-sustaining CIRCO hubs are already operating in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as in 9 other countries in Europe and South America.
A PASSPORT FOR MATERIALS
Circular design revolves around the responsible use of materials. Having clear information about which materials are used where makes it much easier to plan for reuse.
Madaster is a registry for so called ‘material passports’ of buildings and infrastructure, modelling how to make this information accessible and usable.
NEW MATERIALS AND MATERIAL USE
The book, New Material Award 2009-2018, brings together 10 years of award-winning innovative projects and research focused on design and the use of sustainable materials.
LESSONS IN CIRCULARITY
Architecten Cie, the firm responsible for the design of the Circl building featured in the exhibition, presents their experience with circular architecture in Lessons in Circularity. The book can be downloaded here free of charge.
BUILDING CLIMATE
Building Climate summarises key concepts and principles of a climate neutral (or even better: climate positive) built environment, providing a crystal clear, alphabetical list of simple guidelines.
CIRCULARITY AND BIO-BASED MATERIALS IN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Our knowledge and experience in designing a circular built environment are developing at a fast pace. Circularity and Biobased Materials in Architecture and Design takes stock of the current situation and highlights key issues and areas for future focus.
HONG KONG GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) promotes sustainable design and construction practices. It also manages Hong Kong BEAM’s sustainable building certification system.
SUSTAINABLE OFFICE SOLUTIONS
Sustainable Office Solutions manages the reuse and redistribution of office furniture and equipment for businesses and organisations that move to, or open in, a new location.
THE BEGINNINGS OF CIRCULAR FASHION
In her 2008 book Eco-Chic, the fashion Paradox, author Sandy Black explores attempts by the fashion industry to change its bad habits.
A PLAN TO CHANGE
The free e-book Earth Logic sets out an ambitious plan to change the fashion industry from a linear to a circular model. Author Kate Fletcher proposes to substitute ‘the growth logic’ with ‘earth logic’, focusing on the health of our planet.
MOVE TO A CIRCULAR WARDROBE
Redress, an NGO working to reduce waste in the fashion industry, has put together an easy-to-read guide to help you move towards a more circular wardrobe. It includes practical tips for better buying; styling, care and recycling to extend the life of the things you wear.
CIRCULAR DESIGN FOR FASHION
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Circular Design for Fashion book was written to recognise fashion's huge potential to move towards a circular economy, while paying homage to the field’s creative, passionate pioneers on the constant search for reinvention.
FIXING FASHION: OPEN-SOURCE FASHION REPAIR
One Army, the organisation responsible for developing Precious Plastic, has developed Fixing Fashion, an open-source platform for DIY fashion reuse and repair.
HONG KONG: SUPPORTING CIRCULAR FASHION STARTUPS
The Mills Fabrica supports innovation and start-up companies in the field of sustainable fashion and textiles.
HONG KONG: CIRCULAR EVENING DRESSES
Evening dresses are worn a few times a year at most. Wardrobista is a website where you can rent and rent out your evening dresses.
PRODUCTS THAT LAST AND PRODUCTS THAT FLOW
The key to designing circular everyday goods is understanding the relationships between user, product and producer. These two books, developed by researchers from Delft University, break down in detail the business models and design strategies to transform everyday goods into circular products.
Products that Last analyses the design principles and business models underlying durable consumer goods, such as electronics, white goods and bikes, while Products that Flow explores the same issues in relation to products with a short lifespan, such as packaging, food and disposables.
CIRCULAR COMMUNITIES
In order to make circular, everyday goods we need to invent new strategies for material flow, which do not yet exist. In Circular Communities, author Els Leclercq and Mo Smit propose that this can best be done on a community level and introduces design methods to help achieve this.
OPEN SOURCE CAN ACCELERATE THE CIRCULAR TRANSITION
Providing successful ideas and best practices on an open-source platform (free of charge) will greatly increase and multiply the impact of this information.
Precious Plastic
Precious Plastic — featured in the exhibition — is an example of a free, open-source initiative that is rapidly expanding around the world.
OPEN SOURCE REPAIRS
Another example is the DIY electronics and appliance repair website iFixit.
Most of the information on this website is generated by its users.