43 NCAD Staff Circular Economy Sandpit

Enda O’Dowd described the Circular Economy Sandpit, a professional development initiative for NCAD staff designed to build shared understanding of sustainability and materials literacy across the college. Drawing on his background in polymer technology, product design, and medical device design, Mr O’Dowd introduced colleagues from fine art, design, education, and visual culture to the complexities of the circular economy, using open-ended “how might we” questions to frame creative discussion.

The sandpit explored tools such as life cycle analysis (LCA) and Granta EduPack, helping staff interrogate the environmental properties of materials they and their students use. Case studies highlighted the realities of recycling at end-of-life, from the technical challenges of recovering metals from hoverboards to the risks of battery explosions in recycling plants. Mr O’Dowd contrasted the elegant simplicity of circular economy diagrams with the messy realities of supply chains, such as cobalt mining in the Congo and global plastic waste markets diverted to countries with weaker regulation.

Participants reflected on questions of extended producer responsibility, the “polluter pays” principle, and whether compliance schemes sometimes obstruct innovation. Mr O’Dowd also challenged anthropocentric assumptions in cradle-to-cradle models, emphasising entropy, material leakage, and the need to design products and systems that last.

By situating sustainability in real-world complexities rather than oversimplified models, the sandpit encouraged NCAD staff to embed critical material awareness, systemic thinking, and narratives of durability and reuse into art and design education.

About the author

name: Enda O’Dowd

institution: National College of Art and Design

Enda O’Dowd is a Lecturer and Programme Coordinator for the MSc in Medical Device Design at the National College of Art and Design.