Design Skills for Embedding Circularity Programme - in partnership with URGE Collective, CEI, Design Council and WRAP

Have you ever wondered exactly where your product or output ends up after it’s used and discarded? Do you think you are designing sustainably but feel overwhelmed by greenwash, or wish you had the technical skills to make your work truly future-fit for a circular economy?

CIWM has joined URGE Collective, Design Council, WRAP, the Circular Economy Institute to deliver the Design Skills for Embedding Circularity programme. This exciting pilot programme explores new methods for the practical exchange of skills and knowledge, bridging the gap between the design and waste and resource sectors to drive real-world change.

The 2026 Programme

Throughout 2026, we are opening up industrial facilities for our participant cohort to visit sites, take part in curated tours, and engage in collaborative design discussions. These immersive experiences include visits to materials recycling facilities, Energy-from-Waste plants, landfills, and specialist handling facilities, as well as opportunities to visit reciprocal design companies and manufacturing hubs.

To complement these field visits, CIWM and our partners are hosting facilitated workshops. These sessions will explore the principles and requirements of circularity, including re-use, repair, and recyclability, alongside technical topics such as carbon and materials science, packaging innovation, waste-sorting technology and evolving policy and regulation. Participants will also apply their learning to live end-of-life challenges to create actionable, circular concepts.

Professional Development and Impact

This initiative is focused on practical skills development and application. By connecting designers directly with the resource and waste management sector, we combine an integrated approach for more resilient design in the long term. Participants also gain new insights through the Design Council’s Skills for Planet Knowledge Transfer Methodology, bringing vital new skills into the sector.

Opportunities to Partner

We are actively seeking organisations within the resources and waste sector, or those consulting on circular business models, to collaborate with us on the programme's design sprint in June 2026. This is an opportunity to bring a real-world challenge to our cohort and help shape the future of circularity.

For more information on the programme, please visit: Design Skills for Embedding Circularity.