Blog | Ric Frampton

Does re-manufacture add value or diminish future sales?

Designing for second life and re-manufacture is key to ensuring the maximum possible lifespan of a product; it supports circularity and...

Have you designed a product or a pile of rotting junk?

If we categorised a product based on the length of time it actually did something and not by its intended purpose. Then have you designed...

Are you disabling disassembly?

What could disable disassembly? Multiple fixing types, non standard fixings, elaborate clips, cryptic joints, special processes,...

Do you prioritise sustainability in R&D?

Knowledge acquisition is a balance of management and personal goals. How do you identify and prioritise your knowledge base? The circular...

Add the environment to your design brief.

For circularity to be effective at the point of design, it needs to have as much influence in decision making as cost and form. At every...

Designing for circularity is more than just closing the loop.

Manufacturing products, fabricating components or processing materials uses energy and creates emissions. The best way to fulfil the...

Bad design choices can lead directly to waste

If a part breaks and can’t be separated for service, re-use or recycling, the whole product could go to landfill. Designers and engineers...

Design for a circular economy

COP 26 is a focus of urgent debate. In time, the decisions made will filter down to all of us. But what can design as an industry do...