The Circular Industries Talks are organized every second Wednesday at the Circular Industries Hub. In this edition, Julieta Bolaños Arriola, PhD student at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (TU Delft), talks about Developing Safer Circular Products - Mitigating the Risks of Hazardous Substances through Design. Curious for more? Take a look at the recording at the bottom of this page.
Product designers have an important role in the development of everyday products that are safe for people and the environment.”
Hazardous substances, or substances of concern (SoC), are present in numerous daily life products and are the source of significant risks to human health and the environment. In addition, the presence of SoC in products challenges the transition towards a circular economy. By implementing strategies such as reuse, remanufacture, or recycling, SoC can be reintroduced in subsequent lifecycles, generating new forms of risk. To mitigate these hazards, it is crucial to address SoC early in the product development process, highlighting the need for safer, more sustainable design practices. Product designers and developers require appropriate tools and methods to address SoC in products, however, design specific resources in this area are limited. Furthermore, we have observed that current approaches to hazardous substances in products primarily focus on the development of non-toxic chemical alternatives and the mitigation of risks at a chemical and material level (i.e., substitution). This approach often lacks a holistic perspective, potentially leading to trade-offs and unforeseen consequences.
Our research explores strategies to deal with SoC in products through a broader approach in addition to the chemical level. Our findings establish the potential contribution of designers in the mitigation SoC in products. We are developing a design specific method to provide a systematic, lifecycle-oriented approach for addressing SoC across various design scenarios. This approach equips designers with tools and guidelines to identify, assess, and mitigate SoC risks while evaluating design interventions and managing potential trade-offs.
Curious about the whole story? Listen to Julieta in the Circular Industries talks.
The Circular Industries talks
The goal of the Circular Industries talks is to share knowledge across Leiden, Delft and Erasmus and to complement and deepen the knowledge already available within the Circular Industries Hub. The talks are organized on Wednesday morning from 10:00 to 11:00. The talks are online (Microsoft Teams).