Behind the Scenes of the Circular Design Summit with Bernd Müller

Why is design still overlooked in Germany’s circular economy events?

Most circular economy events in Germany focus on engineering, technology and economic policy. But design, where 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined, rarely takes center stage.

In this episode, Bernd Müller, Director of Relations and Sustainability at the German Design Council, explains why they created the Circular Design Summit to change that. He shares how the summit brings together companies, designers and other departments to work on circularity from the start of the product lifecycle. Bernd reflects on the value of collaboration, and why both design and business need to evolve together. He also points to upcoming trends like repair, resale and the search for scalable materials.

This episode is part of Circular Design Summit in cooperation with the German Design Council.

People
Bernd Müller, Director Relations & Sustainability at German Design Council
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernd-m-433a13163/

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/

Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:17 Role at the German Design Council
03:15 Overview of the German Design Council
04:59 The Role of Design
06:33 Reasons Behind Organising a Circular Design Summit
07:38 Key Learnings from the Summit
09:17 Bernd's Sources Of Inspiration
09:47 Future Trends in Circular Design
11:41 Upcoming Events
13:19 Who Should Join the Germany Design Council
14:27 International Reach

About
The German Design Council is Germany’s leading authority on design, established in 1953 as a non-profit foundation by the German Parliament with support from German industry. Its mission is to advance design as a powerful economic, cultural, and social force, connecting business and design to foster innovation, sustainability, and transformation across industries.

The Council serves as a hub for knowledge transfer, strategic consulting and networking, providing a platform for over 300 member companies. Its activities include organising high-profile international awards such as the German Design Award, hosting conferences including the Circular Design Summit, conducting studies and promoting best practices in branding and innovation.

Further Links
https://www.german-design-council.de/aktivitaeten/circular-design-summit

One-page Summary
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