Circular Perspectives in Design Education. Packaging Disassembly as a Tool for Enhancing Critical Thinking

The new Circular Economy models prompt designers to relocate artefacts within socio-technical systems in which the value of the product, its components, and its materials are maintained and not wasted. Design tools such as product disassembly are not only gaining new impetus in the design field but are also becoming important educational resources. In the past, the strategies of Design-for-X and Design for Disassembly have only dealt with technologically complex products, but today, the contextual turn of the challenges that designers must face requires urgent reflection on everyday products. In particular, packaging combines environmental and functional issues with important communication requirements, thus bridging different design disciplines. The paper presents and discusses the case study of a packaging disassembly exercise carried out within the Politecnico di Torino. The results show the effectiveness of disassembly as a design tool to analyse everyday products and foster the critical and forward-looking attitude of young designers.