Today, one of the biggest challenges of our civilisation is to rethink the way we produce and consume. The take-make-waste philosophy has strengthened its grip on our infrastructure and economic models throughout the years, resulting in a strictly linear economy while the planet and all its inhabitants pay the price. By adopting a circular mindset, this might actually come to change — and you can spearhead the shift.
You, students, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, who want to do less harm and more good, have the possibility to co-develop the skills, language, and mindset needed to succeed with a circular transition of society. That is what this workshop is all about. Together, we can train ourselves in the skills needed for the future.
Thus, in this workshop, participants will collaborate with each other on developing business ideas for a circular economy. You will dig deeper into the fundamental models, tools, and strategies of sustainable development and circular business development and engage in hands-on research into the ecosystem of actors connected to the lifespan of a product or service of your choice. Together, we will then use our new skills to propose ideas of circular products and services.
Concepts explored include:
- Circular economy
- The Global Circularity Gap Report
- The planetary boundaries
- Life cycle analysis
- Circular design and business development tools
Skills gained in this workshop
- How to understand some of the most fundamental models of sustainable development
- How to make a simplified version of a Life Cycle Analysis of a product or service
- How to apply tools and strategies for circular business development
ELIGIBILITY & SELECTION
All students and alumni of SSES member universities are eligible to apply to this weekend workshop. We get many applications and unfortunately cannot accept everyone. The selection process is outlined below:
SELECTION PROCESS
- Application is reviewed
- Selection is made and a confirmation email is sent out
- Participants must confirm their seat in order to secure the spot
- If spots are not confirmed in time, the waitlist will be reviewed and new participants selected
About the teacher
Sara Araya is a textile designer turned innovation manager, constantly on the lookout for opportunities in creative sustainable development. In 2013, she walked away from the textile and fashion industry because of its negative impact on both social and environmental sustainability. Since then, she has gained other skills and begun to come back to the industry to do good as a designer and business developer. She is currently working actively as innovation manager at Openlab and is the founder of Studio Moar — a platform she uses to explore new ideas and collaborations. Furthermore, she has embarked on a new adventure by building the organisation and ecosystem Vintage Cooperative, a network and platform for circular fashion.
