January 5, 2015
Workshops in Scotland with The Great Recovery
Galloping resource prices, absolute and geopolitical material scarcities, environmental damage and waste economics mean that our ‘take-make-use-dispose’ models of doing business are no longer sustainable. The Great Recovery project is encouraging designers, engineers, technicians, manufacturers, brands and waste managers to think and do things differently. To design, manufacture, use and dispose of products in a way that fits with the world we actually live in.
In collaboration with Zero Waste Scotland, two investigative workshops will take place in Edinburgh and again in Glasgow, on the 2nd and 3rd of February 2015.
This workshop aims to highlight the negative implications of linear systems upon business, technology and society. We will explore a number of waste streams (electronic products, textiles, food, packaging etc) and highlight how design and improved business or service models can contribute to building a more circular economy. This isn’t some hippy nonsense: this is essential to securing Scotland’s economic and manufacturing future!
The workshop is designed to encourage participants from any industry or part of the ‘circular network’ to meet, debate and collaborate. They complement the work of Zero Waste Scotland and Innovate UK, to help you understand the challenges and opportunities around the circular economy and to design for a closed loop system. We will kick off with an investigation into end of life challenges, using practical ‘tear down’ exercises to explore the nature of supply chains, logistics, resource efficiency, waste and business or technical challenges. After this, the focus will turn to the opportunities that exist for ‘designing up’ new products and services in different industries, and the analysis of systems thinking around a closed loop model.
You should apply:
– If you are a practicing designer, are part of an in-house design team, commission designers or work on product development for clients.
– If you fit into any of the identified sectors in our circular network (designers, waste managers, materials specialists, policymakers, manufacturers, brands, investors & academics).
– If you are interested in applying for any of the Innovate UK competitions.
These are work-based professional workshops created to help you debate issues around material choices and product life cycles. We hope to be running a series of student specific workshops later in the programme.
Monday 2nd February – Great Recovery Workshop – Edinburgh
12.30pm – 5pm
A+DS, Edinburgh, EH8 8DD
Sign up for the workshop here
Monday 2nd February – Great Recovery Drinks Reception
If you’re unable to join us during the day time but are interested in meeting up, come along for some festive drinks with the Great Recovery and Zero Waste Scotland teams at A+DS in Edinburgh from 6.30pm. Register your attendence here.
Tuesday 3rd February – Great Recovery Workshop – Glasgow
10pm – 3pm
MAKlab Glasgow G3 SUJ
Sign up for the workshop here
The Great Recovery and Zero Waste Scotland are working together to build new networks to explore the issues, investigate innovation gaps and incubate new partnerships for a circular economy in Scotland. Our mission is to work with experts across the supply chain, including designers, material scientists, manufacturers and resource managers, retailers, consumers, investors and academics to create a neutral space where disciplines can learn from each other and accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
