A new initiative launched last month by the RSA and the Technology Strategy Board, called The Great Recovery , will use innovation to address the challenge of designing products which can be more easily recycled. The current linear model of ‘take-make-dispose’ is throwing up major economic and environmental challenges. Risk to our supply chain is increasing, and the cost of materials is rising sharply, putting pressure on businesses to change. A shift is now needed towards more circular systems and good design thinking is pivotal to this transition.

The Great Recovery will bring together designers, material experts, manufacturers, resource managers, academics, retailers and policy makers to look at ways of working together to explore the issues and create partnership working.

As part of the project the Technology Strategy Board has launched a £1.25m feasibility studies competition into the re-design of products, components and systems to retain material within the economy over several cycles of use – ‘closing the loop’.

To find out more visit the project website www.greatrecovery.org.uk, watch the film and sign up to the mailing list and workshops to get involved.