Circular by Design Toolkit
Circular by Design was the first-of-its-kind professional training programme, developed and delivered by the Creative Futures Academy at NCAD and DCCI, to support textile and apparel designers, brands and manufacturers to make the transition to circular practises in every step of their design practice, value chain and business model. A circular fashion industry is one in which waste and pollution are designed out, products and materials are kept in use for as long as possible, and natural systems are regenerated.
For both NCAD and DCCI, the internal aim for the toolkit is to showcase CbD programme, pilot learnings and impact to date, in order to build a consistent pipeline of interested stakeholders for iterative cohorts, and potentially attract partners and investment in the future of the programme. More broadly, the core aim is that the toolkit will help to foster circular design innovation across Ireland’s textiles industry by showcasing concrete examples of best practice and offering concrete guidance on what circular design is and isn’t.
The primary audience was identified as Irish textiles and apparel brands & manufacturers and designers, and the secondary audience was identified as educators and students.
The toolkit was originally planned as a simple, shareable pdf. However, on reflection and through discussion with our design partner Unthink, it was decided that for the sake of accessibility, the toolkit should be digital. This will also future-proof the toolkit, since new information, such as case studies, can be added as the CbD programme continues to scale and grow. Moreover, the digital structure that has been developed has the potential to serve as a template for other CFA toolkits down the line. The toolkit covers key topics such as what is a circular textiles industry and why it is needed, what is circular design, what circular design strategies can designers practically apply etc. It also contains 15 case studies; 11 case studies from the CdD pilot companies and 4 international case studies (MUD Jeans, Maker’s Unite, Loop.a.Life, Eileen Fisher Renew).
