Kick-start circular education

Sustainability is no longer an option. It is a necessity to solve climate challenges and stay relevant in global markets. This means that designers and developers need to be educated with a different mindset. Material scarcity is already a reality - and the future belongs to those who manage to use resources in a circular way.

The material bank is also a tool for knowledge exchange with industry. Students access knowledge about production techniques and material properties in the material bank, online, and at lectures and talks in the program. They develop business understanding and can visit manufacturing companies through THE UPCYCL. The companies are inspired and challenged to innovate by the students' ideas and questions. Together, they can even put the new designs into production.

This does not mean that everything in the future will have to be designed from old gym floors. Industry produces copious amounts of 'New Waste' - continuous off-cuts and leftover materials from production. In the hands of your students, these materials can become new designs with real market potential.

Having access to materials not only allows students to be creatively inspired by the material. It also allows them to explore the properties of the material and challenge production techniques in the workshops. It marks a dedication to learning with their hands and developing new knowledge in practice.