State of Open Con 2023

The origins of the Linear Economy – the ‘take-make-use-dispose’ model of consumption – date from the Industrial Revolution and the global economy has developed around this model. Various social, economic and environmental factors mean that it is no longer sustainable today.

A new model – the Circular Economy – is now possible and applicable to a range of product and technology areas, including data centre hardware. The role of product and systems designers in the circular economy is crucial, as circular approaches must be considered early in design and deployment lifecycles to provide the best leverage for both sustainability and economy.

Professor Andrews will discuss the necessity for whole systems thinking, and the integration of technological and human factors to accelerate development of a Circular Economy; she will also discuss the importance of design and engineering, and reactive and proactive approaches to the challenges of sustainability and circularity now and in the future.