Designing with Nature. Circular Design and Sustainability

The paper explores Circular Design as a strategic lever to overcome the linear model and foster sustainability, emphasizing design’s role in driving systemic change. After introducing the Circular Design Thinking methodology, it focuses on the potential of BioDesign, which incorporates living organisms into design processes. Within this framework, the research experience “Rethinking the Packaging,” developed at Politecnico di Milano, is presented. The project experimented with mycelium-based materials to replace plastic packaging in the construction sector. This case demonstrates how biodegradable solutions can reduce environmental impact and enable circular production cycles.