“Make it simple, but significant.” — Don Draper.
Design From A Thought Experiment.
One of the books I enjoyed recently- Cradle To Cradle- got me thinking a lot about circular design.
Not only have I experienced the slight despair about the short life span of most products and packaging, but I’ve also experienced a surge in curiosity.
So today, I’m going to take you on a tour through one of the thought experiments I tried to pursue after reading this book, asking myself one simple question:
What does it take to keep materials in the supply chain?
Not slightly delaying their arrival at a landfill by recycling them one more time, but to turn them back into technical or biological nutrients for the next iteration of products.
Step #1: Identify the goal of the design.
Everyone loves setting goals so much that we have a holiday for it (New Year’s Eve).
However, setting the right goal is not necessarily an easy task.
In my experiment, though, I started thinking about this goal the way Braungart and McDonough do in Cradle to Cradle—through the lens of designing for circularity in technical and biological nutrients.
These two categories define everything in our supply chain.
Technical nutrients are the stuff of modern life: metals, electronics, old cars, rusty bikes—anything that won’t just dissolve harmlessly into soil or water.
These materials don’t biodegrade, but they can be designed to circulate endlessly through industrial systems.
Then there are biological nutrients—your food scraps, wood shavings, natural fibers—anything that once came from a living thing and can return safely to the earth.
We’ll dig into the problems with each of these in a moment. But first, it’s worth zooming out.
For technical nutrients, our challenge is to design a system where disassembly and reuse are the norm.
This is where systems thinking comes in.
Imagine a decentralized network for collecting e-waste, where rare earth metals and precious components are recovered and reintroduced into the supply chain—instead of being buried in landfills.
For biological nutrients, our aim is just as ambitious: materials that break down into clean, nourishing compost. Think banana peels that grow your tomatoes, not chemicals that poison your groundwater.
In both cases, the big question is the same: How do we redesign our materials and systems so that today’s waste becomes the fuel for tomorrow’s innovation?
Step #2: Ask what stands in the way.
The next step of my thought experiment was outlining what is standing in the way.
I thought about plastic, for example, and the hundreds of varieties of it that make recycling it a nightmarish puzzle.
Indeed, while some plastic can be repurposed, melted into some new form (think #1 plastic, PET- polyethylene terephthalate, and #2 plastic, HDPE, high-density polyethylene), not all can. In fact, even the plastics that can be recycled still pose the question of microplastics and toxic additives.
To separate hundreds of different types of plastics, not to mention all the waste that isn’t made of plastic, or the waste that includes plastics mixed with some other material, is a systems thinking feat that is enough to give anyone a headache.
Then there is the e-waste problem, which has been one of the fastest-growing waste streams worldwide. Currently, approximately 350 million tons of e-waste are sitting in landfills.
In the picture below, you can see some of the other barriers I identified.
Step #3: Think big with “what if” questions.
This third step might just be the most courageous of all, because it asks you to take a risk.
It invites you to tap into your imagination and suggest ideas that might feel bold, unconventional, or even downright “stupid” at first glance.
That takes guts.
Here, we’re not focused on what’s practical or realistic. We’re not trying to impress anyone or get it “right.”
Instead, we ask the simple but powerful question: “What if?”
Then we let our curiosity lead the way.
No idea is too wild. No path is too strange. This is a space for exploration, not evaluation.
It’s important to remember that creativity thrives in an environment free from judgment. So we suspend the instinct to criticize or edit ourselves.
We give ourselves full permission to be imaginative, even absurd- because often, the ideas that seem the most ridiculous at first are the ones that spark genuine innovation later on.
The time for filtering, refining, and choosing comes later. For now, your only job is to wonder.
Step #4: Experiment.
The final step in this process—experimenting with an actual design—is one I haven’t reached yet.
But that’s the beauty of this kind of work: it’s iterative, open-ended, and constantly evolving.
So far, I’ve explored the principles, asked the “what if” questions, and thought critically about how materials could circulate more intelligently through our systems.
The next challenge is to bring these ideas to life—to sketch, prototype, and test designs that embody cradle-to-cradle thinking.
I don’t know exactly what that will look like yet, but I’m excited to find out.
In future posts, I plan to document that experimentation phase: the successes, the failures, the messy in-betweens.
I hope that by sharing the process in real time, it might spark new ideas—not just for me, but for anyone else dreaming of a world where waste becomes a resource.
For now, consider this the start of the blueprint.
Thought To Action
- Start a Curiosity Journal: Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s approach to learning, begin documenting your daily observations and questions. This practice nurtures a habit of inquiry and creativity.
- Embrace Constraints to Spark Innovation: Challenge yourself with limitations to enhance problem-solving skills.
- Integrate Artistic Practices into Learning: Incorporate art forms like drawing or music into your study routines to enhance understanding and retention of STEM concepts.
- Advocate for Inclusive Design: Engage in conversations and initiatives that promote clothing designs catering to diverse body types and needs.
- Start A Reading Habit: Check out this post to easily start reading about and enjoying the topics you’ve always wanted to learn more on.
Sources
Braungart, M., & McDonough, W. (2002). Cradle to cradle: Remaking the way we make things. North Point Press.
Eartheasy. (n.d.). Plastics by the numbers. https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/plastics-by-the-numbers/
WasteDirect. (n.d.). E-waste statistics. https://wastedirect.co.uk/guides/e-waste-statistics/
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