Are you designing for a world that can no longer support a linear take-make-waste model? Have you ever questioned the true lifecycle of your products, or felt that “sustainable design” often stops short of real-world recovery? If you find yourself overwhelmed by greenwash or are seeking the technical competency to make your work future-fit, you are not alone. The transition to a circular economy requires a fundamental shift in how we exchange knowledge between those who design and create products, and those who manage our resources.
The Circular Economy Institute has partnered with CIWM, Design Council, WRAP, and URGE Collective to deliver a pilot programme, Design Skills for Embedding Circularity. This programme explores practical methods for cross-sector skill exchange, bridging the gap between design and the waste and resource sector to drive systemic change in circular design.
The 2026 Programme
Throughout 2026, we are providing our participant cohort with exclusive access to the frontline of resource and waste management. Through immersive site visits and curated tours, designers will engage in collaborative discussions at materials recycling facilities, Energy-from-Waste plants, and specialist handling facilities. These experiences offer a rare, first-hand look at today’s material flows and the practicalities of resource recovery.
To support this, CEI and our partners are hosting facilitated workshops and expert-led sessions. These sessions explore the key principles and requirements of circularity, including reuse, repair, and recyclability. Alongside technical exploration into carbon and materials science, packaging innovation, and evolving policy and regulations. Participants will apply these insights to real end-of-life challenges, generating actionable concepts for circular innovation.
Professional Development and Impact
This initiative is designed to move beyond theory and into action-based learning. By connecting designers directly with the resource and waste sector, we are developing the collaborative insight needed for long-term resilient design.
The programme is also underpinned by the Design Council’s Skills for Planet Knowledge Transfer Methodology. This ensures that participants gain accredited, practical capabilities that they can bring back to their organisations, helping to accelerate the transition to a circular future.
Opportunities to Partner
We are currently seeking strategic partners, including waste sector organisations and circular business consultancies, to collaborate on the programme’s design sprint.
Interested in collaborating? For more information on the programme and partnership opportunities, please visit: https://www.urgecollective.com/design-skills-for-embedding-circularity/.