Circular Living

Keeping good materials in use.

A circular approach designs out waste: products that last, can be repaired and reused, and materials that are recovered rather than discarded. We look at the ideas, products and technologies that make that practical for everyday life.

What we’ll explore

From the things we own to the systems that recover them, here is what we plan to explore.

  • Repairable products

    What makes a product genuinely repairable, and how to spot it before you buy.

  • Reuse and refurbishment

    Giving products and materials a second, third or fourth life.

  • Recycling technologies

    How different materials are recovered, and where recycling works well or struggles.

  • Circular product design

    Design choices that make products easier to maintain, upgrade, disassemble and recover.

  • Resource recovery

    Capturing valuable materials from products and waste streams.

  • Waste reduction

    Practical ways households and businesses can send less to landfill.

  • Durable consumer products

    Why some products last, and how to weigh durability against price.

  • Product lifecycle assessments

    What lifecycle thinking tells us, and how to read the claims made in its name.

  • Practical circular economy solutions

    Working examples and ideas that make circular thinking useful rather than abstract.

Our lens

Questions we ask before calling something circular.

“Circular” is easy to claim and harder to prove. We look for specifics.

  1. How long will it last, and can it be repaired?
  2. What happens to it, and its materials, at the end of its life?
  3. Is the environmental claim backed by evidence we can check?
  4. Is the circular option practical and affordable for most people?

Clear about the evidence.

Some circular approaches are well proven and others are early experiments. We say which is which, and avoid vague green claims.

  • Established technology

    Commercially available, widely installed and with a real-world track record we can examine.

  • Emerging commercial solution

    Available to buy, but newer. Less long-term evidence, so we say plainly what is still unproven.

  • Experimental research

    Promising results in laboratories or pilots, not yet proven at scale or in the market.

  • Speculative concept

    Interesting ideas worth understanding, clearly separated from anything you could buy or build today.

Explore other areas

  • Energy & Storage

    Solar, batteries, efficiency and the systems that tie them together, from rental-friendly power to whole-home storage.

  • Better Buildings

    Materials, construction methods and design ideas that make buildings more comfortable, durable and resource-smart.

  • Future Innovations

    Emerging technologies and research worth watching, with honest notes on how close each one is to real-world use.