Inge Oskam | Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

'Repurpose Driven Design: creating value from waste'

Repurpose is a strategy whereby discarded products not designed for circularity are used in new products with a new function, avoiding the need to tap into new and sometimes scarce resources. Inge shows how recent research into design practice led to the definition of a three-tiered typology that shows the circular potential of reusing discarded products, parts and materials in new high-quality products. However, repurpose requires an analytical and creative design effort, as residual streams already have a history, functionality and form, and are available in varying degrees of availability, quality and quantity. A specific reuse-driven design approach with associated tools helps designers find new potential uses.

Research partners: Ahrend, Renesi, Fiction Factory, Studio Hamerhaai, Tolhuijs Design, VerdraaidGoed and others

Biography

Inge Oskam (MSc PhD) is a professor in Circular Design & Business at the Faculty of Technology of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. She holds a master’s degree in Industrial Design Engineering and obtained a PhD on collaborative business modelling for sustainability and the role of stakeholder interaction therein. Inge specializes in practice-based research at the interface of design, technology and business, focusing on the transition towards a circular economy. She leads a research team that uses a research through design approach to advance the knowledge around circular design and business model strategies, with a focus on Rethink and Repurpose, and circular systems engineering for closing urban material cycles.