Design, Circular Economy Who will compost your chair?

Oakland, California–based company Model No. 3D prints its furniture using bio-resins at a facility that runs entirely on wind and solar energy. Any hardwood components are FSC-certified or salvaged, and all finishes are nontoxic and made with natural oils and waxes. The pieces are produced to order and packaged in recycled materials. PHOTO COURTESY THE MANUFACTURER

We can learn to mitigate and even reverse climate change and other global challenges, like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. A clear way to do so is to build a circular economy, one in which products and materials are never considered waste, but are instead kept in circulation by maintaining, reusing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, recycling, and composting. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation identifies three principles for circularity: eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerating nature. The building sector scores pretty badly on these three principles. But many within the industry are working to make the built environment green. Metropolis’s editor in chief Avinash Rajagopal has summarized the challenges and opportunities. Treat it like you would a punchlist. Article: 10 Provocations for Circular Design