Circular Product Design Frameworks and Certifications

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Circular Product Design Frameworks and Certifications is the third and final course of the Circular Product Development for the Circular Economy specialization. The aim of this course is to explore different circular design frameworks such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's collaboration with IDEO to create a Circular Product Design Guide, the partnership between industry and research teams that culminated in the CIRCit Guide to Circular Product Design and Development, and Biomimicry 3.8's Guide to best practices. If the first two courses in the specialization describe what circular product and packaging design is and what it can achieve, this course is about the processes and methodologies necessary to make it happen. The course begins by examining the motivation for circular product design, highlighting what is happening at major corporations such as IKEA, as well as for regulatory mandates, such as the European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (the ESPR). The course then dives into the Ellen MacArthur Foundation-IDEO's 4-Phase Design Guide based on human-centered design and design thinking. The Circular Product Design approach defined by the CIRCit Project is also examined in detail, as it dovetails nicely into existing stage-gate product development processes. The course then briefly discusses biomimicry as an innovative way to emulate nature's solutions to today's challenges. Increasingly, consumers (and investors!) are interested in more sustainable and circular products, and one way of demonstrating a company's success is with a 3rd party certification. Therefore, the course wraps up with a focus on the Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s certification process. Included in this course is a comprehensive set of tools, worksheets, and activities that can be used by any product design team interested in developing circular products that benefit both people and the environment. This course was developed in collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries Software and is part of the "Design for the Circular Economy" collection. Learners who complete and pass the course can receive an industry-recognized digital badge. The “Design for the Circular Economy” microcredential and graduate certificate are developed around the educational goals of providing technical, business, and leadership knowledge and skills that inspire the transformation towards a more circular economy. This includes gaining technical knowledge to apply circular economy principles in product design, minimizing waste and maximizing impact; developing business acumen to implement innovative circular economic models that prioritize sustainability and resilience; and acquiring leadership strategies to communicate effectively and inspire change within an organization. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.

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Michael J. Readey, Ph.D.

W. Edwards Deming Professor of Management