Short answer

Incorporate co-design methodologies and user-centric tools to actively involve consumers in developing circular product and service ecosystems.

Field: Sustainability
Source: Sustainability Science Practice and Policy (2025)
Method: Participatory Design and Toolkit Development
Evidence: Moderate effect

A card-based toolkit can facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration to design consumer experiences that promote circularity in the fashion industry. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Sustainability Science Practice and Policy. Using Participatory design and toolkit development, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Incorporate co-design methodologies and user-centric tools to actively involve consumers in developing circular product and service ecosystems.

Study

SustainabilityNew This WeekModerate effect

Circular Experience Toolkit Enhances Consumer Participation in Fashion Sustainability

A card-based toolkit can facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration to design consumer experiences that promote circularity in the fashion industry.

Sustainability Science Practice and Policy · 2025

Key Findings

01The Circular Experience Toolkit (CET) effectively bridges the gap in consumer participation within circular economy frameworks.
02The toolkit facilitates interdisciplinary dialogue between researchers, industry professionals, and consumers.
03CET enables the generation of novel scenarios for circular consumer retail experiences.

Application

Design takeaway

Incorporate co-design methodologies and user-centric tools to actively involve consumers in developing circular product and service ecosystems.

How to apply

Use scenario-building workshops with diverse groups (designers, marketers, consumers) using prompt cards to brainstorm and visualize circular consumer journeys.

Project actions

01When designing for sustainability, think about how users interact with products throughout their entire life.
02Consider developing tools or workshops that involve your target audience in the design process.

Method & Evidence

AimHow can a dynamic scenario-building resource effectively foster interdisciplinary collaboration to design circular consumer experiences in the fashion industry?

MethodParticipatory Design and Toolkit Development

ProcedureThe researchers iteratively developed a card-based 'Circular Experience Toolkit' (CET). This toolkit was designed to prompt conversations and generate scenarios for creating circular consumer retail experiences, focusing on the recoupling of resource flow and human well-being through creative technologies.

ContextFashion and textile industry, consumer experience design, circular economy

Variables

IVThe Circular Experience Toolkit (CET)

DVEffectiveness in fostering interdisciplinary conversations and generating circular consumer experience scenarios

CV["Participants' professional backgrounds (researchers, industry professionals, consumers)","The specific context of fashion and textiles"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Addresses a significant gap in research regarding consumer participation in the circular economy.
+Offers a practical, tangible tool for design practice and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Limitations

The toolkit's development was specific to fashion; adapting it to other industries might require significant modifications.

Reliability & validity

The iterative development process and focus on interdisciplinary dialogue suggest good construct validity. Reliability would depend on consistent application of the toolkit across different groups and contexts.

Think critically

To what extent can a toolkit alone drive systemic change in consumer behaviour towards circularity, or does it require broader industry and policy support?

Design Principles

"Design for collaborative circularity by empowering diverse stakeholders through accessible scenario-building tools."

Current circular economy models often overlook the crucial role of consumers. This toolkit provides a practical method for designers and industry professionals to actively involve consumers in sustainable practices, moving beyond product design to encompass the entire lifecycle and user interaction.

What This Means for Your Design

This research shows that a special set of cards, called the Circular Experience Toolkit, can help people who design clothes and shops work together with customers to make fashion more sustainable and less wasteful.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study when discussing methods for user engagement in sustainable design projects.
2.Use the concept of scenario-building as a potential method for exploring user interactions in your own design project.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

The development of the Circular Experience Toolkit (Jewitt et al., 2025) highlights the importance of actively engaging consumers in circular economy strategies. This research provides a practical framework for designers to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and generate innovative scenarios for circular consumer experiences, particularly within the fashion industry, by focusing on the integration of resource flows and human well-being.

Source

Sustainability Science Practice and Policy

A circular experience toolkit: a dynamic scenario-building resource for designing circular consumer experiences in fashion

journal · 2025

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about circular experience toolkit enhances consumer participation in fashion sustainability?: Incorporate co-design methodologies and user-centric tools to actively involve consumers in developing circular product and service ecosystems. Evidence: Sustainability Science Practice and Policy (2025).
Why does "Circular Experience Toolkit Enhances Consumer Participation in Fashion Sustainability" matter for design?: Current circular economy models often overlook the crucial role of consumers. This toolkit provides a practical method for designers and industry professionals to actively involve consumers in sustainable practices, moving beyond product design to encompass the entire lifecycle and user interaction.
How can designers apply this research?: Incorporate co-design methodologies and user-centric tools to actively involve consumers in developing circular product and service ecosystems.
What were the main findings?: The Circular Experience Toolkit (CET) effectively bridges the gap in consumer participation within circular economy frameworks.. The toolkit facilitates interdisciplinary dialogue between researchers, industry professionals, and consumers.. CET enables the generation of novel scenarios for circular consumer retail experiences.
What research method was used?: Participatory Design and Toolkit Development.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2025 journal from Sustainability Science Practice and Policy.
What should I do differently in my next project?: Use scenario-building workshops with diverse groups (designers, marketers, consumers) using prompt cards to brainstorm and visualize circular consumer journeys.
What are the limitations?: The effectiveness and scalability of the toolkit across different fashion sub-sectors and consumer demographics require further investigation.