Sustainability & Circular Innovation

Systems Thinking & Circular Product Design

Master systems-led innovation and circular design strategies to build durable, reusable, and regenerative products that reduce waste, strengthen business value, and support long-term sustainability goals.

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Systems Thinking
Understand feedback loops, leverage points, and whole-system impacts.
♻️
Circular Design Tools
Apply lifecycle assessment, modular design, and reuse strategies.
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Business Value
Build circular business models that unlock value and reduce risk.

What you will learn

Design Circular Products
with Systems Thinking

In Systems Thinking & Circular Product Design, you will move beyond linear design approaches and learn how to create products that are durable, reusable, and regenerative. This course equips you with practical frameworks to align sustainability, innovation, and business value.

  • ✔ Apply systems thinking to understand product ecosystems, feedback loops, and long-term impacts.
  • ✔ Design products using circular principles such as reuse, modularity, repairability, and regeneration.
  • ✔ Use lifecycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis to reduce waste and environmental impact.
  • ✔ Build circular business models including product-as-a-service, reuse, and reverse logistics.
  • ✔ Integrate circular design into organisational processes, governance, and decision-making.
  • ✔ Measure circular performance using KPIs that balance sustainability, resilience, and business value.
Professionals collaborating on sustainable product and circular design strategies

There are 4 modules in this course

This course helps you master systems thinking and circular product design to build durable, reusable, and regenerative products. You’ll learn practical tools like LCA and material flow analysis, explore circular business models, and understand how to embed circularity across teams, governance, and stakeholders.

Systems Thinking Foundations
Module 1  •  3 lessons
Module details

Build a strong foundation in systems thinking to understand how products behave in complex ecosystems. Learn how feedback loops, leverage points, and circularity principles shape sustainable outcomes.

What's included
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3 lessons
▶
3 lessons
• Total 3 lessons
  • Systems mapping: feedback loops & emergent behavior • Included
  • Identifying leverage points in product ecosystems • Included
  • Circularity principles: cradle-to-cradle, regenerative design • Included
Circular Product Design Tools & Methods
Module 2  •  3 lessons
Module details

Learn hands-on tools and methods to design for circularity. Apply assessment techniques, improve repairability and disassembly, and explore nature-inspired innovation for resource-efficient products.

What's included
▶
3 lessons
▶
3 lessons
• Total 3 lessons
  • Lifecycle assessment (LCA) & material flow analysis • Included
  • Modular design, repairability, and disassembly techniques • Included
  • Biomimicry and resource-efficient innovation strategies • Included
Business Models & Value Innovation
Module 3  •  3 lessons
Module details

Translate circular design into measurable business value. Explore circular business models, collaboration across the value chain, and the KPIs needed to track circular performance.

What's included
▶
3 lessons
▶
3 lessons
• Total 3 lessons
  • Circular business models: servitization, product-as-a-service • Included
  • Value chain collaboration and reverse logistics • Included
  • Measuring value: KPIs for circular performance • Included
Embedding Circularity in Organizations
Module 4  •  3 lessons
Module details

Learn how to make circularity stick inside the organisation. Cover adoption and change management, capability building, and governance to align teams and external stakeholders.

What's included
▶
3 lessons
▶
3 lessons
• Total 3 lessons
  • Change management for circular design adoption • Included
  • Training design and internal capability building • Included
  • Governance, standards, and external stakeholder engagement • Included
🎓
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What professionals say about this circular design course

Ananya S.
Head of Sustainability (ESG), Consumer Goods

“The systems mapping approach made our product discussions sharper. We used leverage points and feedback loops to spot upstream fixes, then translated them into circular design actions the team could actually execute.”

Rahul P.
Product Design Lead, Hardware

“The module on modular design and disassembly was immediately useful. It helped us redesign components for repairability and reuse without compromising user experience or manufacturing constraints.”

Sophie M.
Circular Economy Manager, Manufacturing

“Clear explanation of LCA and material flow analysis. I could finally connect impact hotspots to design choices and build a simple KPI set that both engineering and leadership agreed on.”

David K.
Innovation & R&D Lead, B2B Solutions

“The business model section was a standout. We mapped product-as-a-service and reverse logistics options and left with a practical adoption plan—governance, stakeholders, and change steps included.”

Frequently asked questions

What is “Systems Thinking & Circular Product Design” about?

This course helps you understand how products operate within complex systems and how to design them for reuse, repair, and regeneration instead of “take–make–waste”.

You’ll learn practical circular design tools, lifecycle thinking, and business model approaches so you can create sustainable products with real business value.

Is this course only for sustainability professionals?

No. It’s designed for product, innovation, engineering, operations, and sustainability teams who want a shared approach to circular design.

If you influence product decisions, materials, manufacturing, packaging, or business models, this course will be relevant.

Do I need prior knowledge of LCA or systems thinking to start?

No. We start with clear fundamentals and build up step-by-step, so beginners can follow along.

If you already know the basics, the frameworks and practical examples will help you apply them faster to real product decisions.

Will this help me redesign an existing product, or only create new ones?

Both. You can use the circular design tools to improve existing products (repairability, modularity, packaging, materials) or to design new products with circularity built in from day one.

Many learners use the course to identify quick wins first, then expand into deeper redesign over time.

How is this different from a “circular economy” overview course?

This course is design-focused. It connects systems thinking with product decisions—materials, lifecycle impacts, design for disassembly, reuse models, and circular KPIs.

You won’t just learn definitions—you’ll learn how to apply circularity to real product strategy.

Is the course self-paced, and can I rewatch lessons?

Yes. You can learn at your own pace and revisit modules whenever you need a refresher.

This is especially useful when you apply the frameworks to live projects and want to review specific tools.

Will I learn how to measure sustainability impact (not just talk about it)?

Yes. You’ll learn lifecycle thinking and how to link product decisions to measurable outcomes, including circularity KPIs and improvement tracking.

The focus is on practical measurement you can communicate across product, engineering, and leadership.

What if my company does not have a circular strategy yet?

That’s common. The course helps you start with a clear systems view, identify the best leverage points, and propose an adoption path that leadership can understand.

You can use it to build a shared language and a practical starting roadmap for your team.

Will I receive a certificate of completion?

Yes. After completing the course, you will receive a digital certificate you can add to your LinkedIn profile, résumé, or internal learning records.

It’s useful for demonstrating capability in circular design and systems-led sustainability.

Can my company enroll a team (product + sustainability + operations) together?

Yes. Group enrollments work well because circular design requires cross-functional alignment.

For team access or customized programs, contact us and we’ll share available options.