Design for multiple use of textile products in public and private partnerships

Design for multiple use of textile products in public and private partnerships (Design2.Use) aims to develop
and test new circular textile solutions in the furniture industry focused on design for multiple use.
Design2.Use is made possible by systemic collaborations and partnerships between Aalborg University
(Department of Planning and Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology), Copenhagen
Business School, two Danish municipalities who represent the use and recovery, a private company (Højer
Møbler) who represents the design and product as well as the private company CarpetCare who provides
various circular services on furniture.
The Danish municipalities purchased furniture and fixtures for over 1 billion DKR in 2017, and the public
sector in general faces major challenges in transitioning from a linear use of furniture which is replaced
frequently to one in which furniture is reused and in general used longer. Extending the lifetime of the
furniture can be done through various circular strategies, which besides a reduced use of new resources and
reduced CO2-eq emissions also holds the potential for job creation and new capability building through cocreation and knowledge exchange in the value chain. Design2.Use aims to provide a method for co-creation
of solutions for longevity through co-designed solutions for secondary and tertiary use.
Design2.Use takes a systemic perspective across the furniture value chain (design and production, systems
and services, and recovery), where new business models and solutions are made possible by interactions
between the product level, the business level (for purchase called supplier level), and the systemic level. The
project enables new solutions to increase longevity which contributes substantially to the Danish climate
strategy as well as the EU plans for circular economy. Design2.Use further advances the capacity and
capabilities of businesses and industry supporting their ability to become frontrunners in circular design
strategies on both extended use for second users and recovered use for third users. This further supports
their ability to meet the upcoming requirements from the proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products
Regulation (ESPR) by the EU.
If Design2.Use reaches its full potential, the following objectives will be obtained:
• By September 2025, the current state of circularity in the public furniture value chains,
including the barriers and challenges for long use, extended use, and recovered use, has been
identified.
• By January 2026, a method for co-creation between public and private companies is developed
to co-design new solutions for longevity and circulation.
• By October 2026, at least one new coherent systemic approach to enable multiple use cycles
in practice has been developed.
• By January 2027, four new circular design strategies or related business models for multiple
use cycles that can be scaled to other sectors and industries have been identified.
• By the end of 2027, the results of the project have been presented at a minimum of one
national conference with participants from municipalities, companies, and academia.