CIRCULAR
LAB
Decide how a product is made, how much energy it uses and what happens to it at the end of its life.
A decision simulation about the life cycle of everyday things – with a little physics and no single right answer.
Interactive teaching simulation · 20–35 min · no registration
Core idea
A sustainable product is not just made from recycled material. What decides is its whole life cycle – energy, lifetime, repairability, logistics and the end of its use.
Four indicators
One decision, four impacts
The greenest option is not always the cheapest. A truly sustainable design is a compromise between material, energy, price and lifetime.
Circularity
Materials, repairability, reuse and recyclability.
Energy
Energy used in production and use, efficiency and energy losses.
Durability
Robustness, serviceability and availability of spare parts.
Cost
Economic sustainability: purchase and running costs and the budget.
How the activity works
01
Decide
You go through a product’s life cycle: material, construction, use, repair and end of life. Every choice involves a trade-off.
02
Experiment
A short interactive task – a calculation, sorting or an experiment with sliders – shows how much energy things really cost and where it is lost.
03
Evaluate
At the end you see what went well and where a linear weakness remains. The result is not a contest, but a basis for discussion.
Start with the Electric kettle scenario
Energy, efficiency and repairability. It takes about 25 minutes.