ENS5350 - Circular economy: Principles and solutions

Overview

We face increasing societal challenges arising from the triple planetary crisis - climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss and other global trends, such as rising global tensions. To counter these developments, there is an emerging consensus among scholars, policy makers, businesses, and civil society that we need to transition to … For more content click the Read More button below. The circular economy is an economic system in which resource input, waste, emissions, and energy leakages are minimised by cycling, extending, intensifying, and dematerialising energy, material, and water loops. We can achieve this in different ways, including repairing, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling, but also by digitalising physical products, clever maintenance, or by designing long-lasting products. This unit introduces you to the circular economy, leveraging Monash University’s multi-disciplinary expertise and commitment to leadership in the circular economy. It integrates insights from sustainable development, systems thinking, management science, green technologies, behavioural science, industrial design, and social sciences. The unit offers a holistic view of the circular economy paradigm and potential solutions, providing guiding frameworks and practical tools. You will engage with real-world innovations, learn from industry practitioners and researchers, apply your learning through design thinking-based workshops, and reflect on what you learned on a local field trip to a circular venture.

The circular economy is an economic system in which resource input, waste, emissions, and energy leakages are minimised by cycling, extending, intensifying, and dematerialising energy, material, and water loops. We can achieve this in different ways, including repairing, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling, but also by digitalising physical products, clever maintenance, or by designing long-lasting products.

This unit introduces you to the circular economy, leveraging Monash University’s multi-disciplinary expertise and commitment to leadership in the circular economy. It integrates insights from sustainable development, systems thinking, management science, green technologies, behavioural science, industrial design, and social sciences. The unit offers a holistic view of the circular economy paradigm and potential solutions, providing guiding frameworks and practical tools. You will engage with real-world innovations, learn from industry practitioners and researchers, apply your learning through design thinking-based workshops, and reflect on what you learned on a local field trip to a circular venture.

Offerings

WS-01-CLAYTON-FLX-BLK

Contacts

Chief Examiner(s)

Associate Professor Annette Bos

Unit Coordinator(s)

Associate Professor Martin Geissdoerfer

Dr Andrea Cuesta Claros

Notes

This unit will be delivered over an intensive period of six weeks, commencing the week of June 16, 2025.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:

Demonstrate a sound understanding of the complex ecological, social, and economic challenges motivating a circular economy.

Compare and contrast key circular economy theories, methods, and tools from diverse disciplines and investigate their interconnectedness;

Critically assess circular economy solutions at the individual, community, and societal level; evaluating their applicability, limitations, trade-offs, and their potential to transform current linear systems;

Create and persuasively communicate a practical solution to a real-world Circular Economy challenge, applying key Circular Economy theories, methods, and tools.

Demonstrate a sound understanding of the complex ecological, social, and economic challenges motivating a circular economy;

Teaching approach

Field trips

Case-based teaching

Problem-based learning

Online learning

Industry-based learning

Active learning

Assessment

1 - Circular economy learning portfolio

2 - Case analysis

3 - Circular economy solution

4 - Reflection

Scheduled and non-scheduled teaching activities

Practical activities

Workshops

Workload requirements

Workload

In total, you can expect to commit to ~ 144 hours of independent and collaborative work over the teaching period as follows:

Week 1: One 6-hour on-campus full-day workshop;
Week 2: One 3-hour hybrid (on-campus and online) workshop;
Week 3: One 3-hour hybrid (on-campus and online) workshop and One 6-hour on-campus full-day workshop;
Week 4: One 3-hour hybrid (on-campus and online) workshop and One 6-hour off-campus local field trip;
Week 5: One 3-hour hybrid (on-campus and online) workshop and One 6-hour on-campus full-day workshop and
Week 6: Final submissions are due.

You will also be expected to engage in independent (asynchronous) study, as follows:

Engagement with online learning materials (approx. 9 hours per week) and
Research and preparation of assignments (approx. 9 hours per week).

Fieldwork

Learning resources

Required resources

Online requirement: You will be required to engage with learning material delivered in Moodle, to support your learning between workshops (own-time and wrap-up activities). You may require technology assistance from the University, to facilitate access to the material (e.g. eSolutions).

On-campus requirement: You will need access to general Monash systems including Moodle, Zoom, G-Suite, library services etc., but no specific other resources are required for the unit.