Circuloop

Polifactory partners with Kaunas Technology University (KTU) to support Lithuanian designers and businesses in creating circular products and services

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Circuloop is a digital platform helping its participants to design circular products & services . It provides a variety of resources and a circular design journey to increase circularity.

his platform is intended to be used as a pre-accelerator for circular design. Circuloop platform and its Circular Design Journey program are the main outcomes of the research project “CD TOOLS for product integrity” funded by European Regional Development Fund according to the 2014–2020 Operational Programme for the European Union. The project implement in 2022 and 2023 have been coordinated Kaunas Technology University (KTU) supported by Polifactory as external scientific partner and TheCritical design agency as design partner.

Photo credits: KTU

Circuloop is positioned as a key tool in the circular economy strategy developed by KTU aimed at promoting collaboration between academia, industry and government. Circuloop tools address challenges in the transition to a circular economy by emphasizing cultural change, knowledge exchange and product integrity. Beneficiaries include businesses, creative professionals, SMEs and start-ups seeking to implement circular product-service systems in Lithuania. Accessible through the Circuloop platform, the Circular Design Journey is a four-month program with two cycles focusing on concept generation, design development,, prototyping, and refining circular solutions. Resources include a circular design toolkit, a business model canvas, and a basic knowledge set on circular economy and circular design principles. Promotion is through workshops, mentoring, and tools specifically designed for program activities, fostering the integration of circular design principles. The 2023 pilot edition involved 16 teams, with eight high-potential projects receiving additional resources to prototype solutions.