Circularity is not always planned: the origins of our 3D printed bowls

When we talk about circularity, we often think about renewable materials, product design, or what happens at the end of a product's life. Those are all important pieces of the puzzle. But sometimes, circular thinking is much simpler than that.

It starts by looking at what you already have.

Some of our first prototypes of 3D printed urns, developed together with Lili.productions, didn't turn out exactly as intended. In a conventional or large production, they might have been discarded and replaced. Instead, we saw an opportunity.

The material is still valuable. The work that went into each print is still there. So rather than treating them as "failed" prototypes, we saw an opportunity and a new purpose. The urns became bowls, creating something beautiful that hadn't been part of the original plan.

For us, this is another side of circularity. It isn't only about choosing the right materials or designing products for end-of-life. It's also about recognising value before something becomes waste and asking a simple question: Can this become something else?

Sometimes, the most resource-efficient solution isn't creating something new. It's seeing new potential in what already exists. 🌱