CIRCULAR BEAUTY JOURNAL 2: On Circularity

We're diving into circular beauty this week.

We will break it into two parts – understanding “circular” first and then “beauty” in the next entry.

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THE WHAT

This is my own definition of circularity:

It’s a way of life that exists within nature’s regenerative cycle.

Not existing outside of it and extracting from it as we have been doing post-industrialisation, which has led us to the current climate crisis.

I think of the way my grandparents used to live, less than 50 years ago. We used to visit them in the countryside of Korea. They lived in a traditional house made of wood, clay and paper doors, didn’t own a car and kept a handful of items made of plastic.

But let’s be real, as romantic as it may sound, we are not going back. 

We need to progress (not regress) to bring us back to existing within nature. And this leads us to the next topic…

 

THE HOW

I came across the Ellen Macarthur Foundation in my hours of despair as I was researching about the global plastic crisis that I was personally contributing to. There’s a wealth of research, case studies and courses that filled me with hope.

Definitely take a browse if you're ever feeling distraught from all the bad news that seems to fill our days. 

They emphasise the role of circular design in transitioning to a new system for a better future. I learned, it’s not just product design. For example, to think of ways to eliminate plastic from bathrooms, I must also consider the services and systems I operate within.

While developing new products at traditional companies, I conducted financial analyses to determine the component costs and retail pricing required to deliver the desired margins. I’d review the financially viable options available from manufacturers and choose the one that is least aesthetically offensive.

In circular design, I consider the “real cost”. In reviewing packaging options, environmental degradation and societal impact become integral to the design decision. In this model, plastic no longer becomes a viable option.

Which is how I came to the conclusion: I must innovate using circular design principles.

 

THE WHO

I was recently listening to an interview with Janine Benyus, "the godmother of biomimicry" , on the podcast The Nature Of. The host asks who can practice designing within nature. 

Janine answers, “We're all designers.” I love this.

 

What we choose to bring into our house, our bathrooms, on our faces.

It’s all a design, a considered act.

We can all make design decisions. There are naysayers that say our small actions don’t amount to anything. To that I’d like to show them this simple calculation:

There are 8 billion people in this world.

1 billion live in the developed world. I hone in on them because they (we) are the highest polluters in the world. 

Let’s say a quarter uses skincare regularly, that’s 250 million.

Let’s say they use 4 products a year, that’s 1 billion products

We have the potential to eliminate 1 billion pieces of packaging, and you’re saying that’s nothing? Change always starts somewhere small.

And so here I am, talking about Circular Beauty. It doesn’t solve climate change or plastic crisis alone, but it is a small, radical step we can take.

FUN FACT: ReMI Beauty is a member of the Ellen Macarthur Foundation community and is featured in their Circular Startup Index. 

 

 

Read the previous Journal entry here.