Waste as a starting point – how to educate design students to become active agents in closing material loops

Paper in proceeding, 2014

The Waste to Design project gives students a framework to do their thesis on trying to use industrial waste for new production. The first year of the project saw four theses, shedding light on the design process required for this type of work. The most common difficulties observed were uncertainties about material properties, production possibilities and regulations. This made students strive to connect and collaborate with people from other backgrounds, suggesting that improving cross-disciplinary collaboration skills in design education would facilitate this type of work.