EMEA 5224: Circular Product Design Frameworks and Certifications
Specialization: Sustainable and Circular Product Development
Instructor: Michael Readey
Prior knowledge needed: No prior background knowledge or experience is required.
Course Description:
This final course in the Sustainable and Circular Product Development specialization provides the tools necessary to take a circular product design to the next step, including frameworks such as Cradle-to-Cradle, Biomimicry, ISO 14000 and several EU Directives. Products can be certified if they meet certain criteria, and the course covers the major certifications available today. Finally, the course shows how companies report their progress using methods prescribed by ISO standards or the Global Reporting Initiative(GRI).
What You'll Learn:
- Describe the fundamentals of sustainability and the circular economy.
- Explain the importance and function of packaging.
- Describe how packaging is designed and tested.
- Explain different packaging materials, from paper to plastic and new technologies on the horizon.
- Describe the different technologies associated with recycling packaging materials.
Topics Outline:
- Circular Design Frameworks: Natural Capitalism, Natural Step, Industrial Ecology, Cradle-to-Cradle, Biomimicry
- Circular Design Guidelines: ISO 14000 and EU Directives
- Making the business case for Circularity: Conducting a Techno-Economic Analysis
- Certifications: C2C, B-Corp, LEEDS, and the UN’s SDGs
- Eco-Labeling Concepts
- Reporting: ISO and GRI Approaches
View on Coursera in March 2025