More design, less waste Upcycling, bioinspiration and design-based entrepreneurship

Abstract

The socio-economic effects induced by the Pandemic and the Ukrainian war, together, have led to a substantial revision of our way of thinking, living, and producing. This year we have realized that another world is necessary and urgent. A world based on the principles of sustainability, on the use of renewable and local resources, towards a kind of new autarchy. Design has an important responsibility in this transition, but a transdisciplinary approach is indispensable to meet these challenges. Because to be truly sustainable, designers need to dialogue with scientists, ecologists, engineers, companies, and philosophers. Transdisciplinarity is fascinating for all, but it isn't easy to apply because designers, scientists, and humanists have different ways of working and thinking, various times, languages, and goals.  The paper intends to present the results of the More Design Less Waste research project aimed at promoting design-based upcycling processes of post-consumer and post-production waste in the Campania region, in southern Italy, to generate new start-ups based on the circular economy.  The research was born to develop a method to approach the upcycling of local waste with a design-driven point of view. An iterative method that Campania designers can use, regardless of the type of waste, to tackle very complex problems of waste management and unemployment by addressing them with their creative, interpretative, and innovative capabilities. A method that can help build new entrepreneurship is returning value to rejects that are considered only as a cost. The Hybrid Design Lab has conducted experiences in this field since 2013. These have led to new upcycling-based products such as chairs and tables for restaurants made from mussel and echinoid waste, lamps made from parts of used wine barrels, or home accessories made from glass or stone scraps from building demolitions.