Do you want to develop sustainable products through design-based research? Are you interested in new circular development methods to improve products? The minor Circular Product Development might be just what you're looking for!

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Today’s society can be characterized as a throw-away-culture: many products are made to be used only once. This continuous production of new products contributes to a scarcity in raw materials and large CO2 emissions, while the discarded products affect our health.

At the same time we know that 80% of the environmental impact of consumer goods is determined during the design phase. So therein lies the key to reducing the enormous environmental impact of products.

With this in mind, the minor program Circular Product Development has been established. The main purpose of this minor program is for students to acquire knowledge and skills in circular product development through applied research (research by designing) in order to minimize the environmental impact. The resultant findings will be shared with real-world organizations and put into practice in the development of new products and design methodologies. 

In this minor program you will be researching a method of sustainable product development, together with other students from various disciplines. Increasing the circularity in product design will be the central theme of your research assignment. You will do this by developing a product as well as by applying research.

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To get started with circular product development, it is important to acquire basic knowledge and skills in product design—especially if you don't have a formal training in it. So during the minor program, you will follow a variety of workshops on product development, such as writing a debrief, creating a list of requirements, sketching, and using prototypes for early proof.

Next, you will dive into the circular product development process. You will analyse the entire (value) chain: this means investigating the source of the raw materials, how the product will be manufactured and what happens to it during and after its useful life. By analysing this chain, the actual problem (value loss) of the product system can be determined, which will serve as input for the rest of the process.

You will address an identified ‘value loss’ by using so-called ‘Design for R-strategies’. This could be, for example, designing the product for ‘Re-use’, ‘Re-manufacture’, ‘Repair’ and ‘Recycle’. Choosing a relevant material is a very important aspect of circular design. For example, will you choose a biobased material or a biodegradable one? And what will that decision be based on? So during the minor, you will gain more knowledge about types of materials, their properties, and material flows.

Furthermore, by performing a life cycle analysis (LCA), you will learn how to identify the impact of your product on humans (e.g. toxicity) and the environment (CO2 footprint).

Your research subjects will be assigned to you by companies and institutions. One example of a project you could work on is creating circular alternative products for the Wadden Area to prevent (micro) plastics. Another example is creating alternatives for disposables used in hospitals with the aim of reducing plastic waste. Your research assignment will take 20 weeks. During this time you will take part in various workshops to extend your knowledge. Every week there will be a coaching session with a lecturer-researcher of the minor program. The knowledge and skills you gain will be collected. It will be passed on to a next research project and shared within the network.

• Basic product design skills
• Applying and executing a value chain analysis (using the CIRCO methodology)
• Understanding and applying the ‘Design for R-strategies’
• Understanding the product development process
• Understanding and applying life cycle analyses (LCA) of a product
• Extended materials knowledge with a focus on sustainability and value
• Contributing to applied research and designing for a customer

This minor program is accessible to students from Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering and Management, Mechanical Engineering, Business Administration, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering, Built Environment, Entrepreneurship & Retail Management, Communication & Multimedia Design.  Students with a background in art combined with product design are also accessible.

full time

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