Cottage Industries and Global Circular Systems: A Comparative Analysis of Historical and Current Industrial Production and the Circular Economy Through an Industrial Design Lens.
Researchers
Angelique Milojevic
Stefan Lie
Berto Pandolfo
Anton Nemme
Roderick Walden
Integrated Product Design Research (IPDr)
School of Design
Faculty of Design and Society
UTS
Conference: Cumulus Athens 2026 Roots | Routes in Design
ABSTRACT
The current environmental crisis, driven by the dominant linear economic model of take– make–waste/dispose, has sparked a global imperative for sustainable systems of production and consumption. In response to these environmental challenges, the circular economy (CE) has become a popular framework that focuses on eliminating pollution and waste, regenerating natural planetary systems, and keeping materials and products in use at their highest value. While CE is a modern concept, this paper argues that historical and current production models offer lessons for rethinking circularity through a contemporary lens of industrial design.
A comparative analysis examines how early models, driven by material scarcity and necessity and utilising local resources, demonstrate implicit circularity that contrasts with the explicit, strategically driven nature of CE. This research explores themes that collectively emphasise practices that keep materials, skills, and value circulating, including maintaining products, valuing skilled craftsmanship and the retention of material value, exercising responsible resource stewardship, and fostering small, localised circular economies grounded in community-scale production and reuse.
The necessity-driven nature of early cottage industries to modern era is compared with CE strategies, highlighting how proximity, scale, and engagement with materials influence design outcomes. Examining cottage industries alongside CE initiatives reveals both similarities and critical differences, providing useful insights for industrial designers. While cottage industries operate within constraints, with some slow, narrow, and closed material loops, CE initiatives are often motivated by the goal of designing resilient systems that benefit the environment, people, and businesses. Both share a commitment to resource efficiency, resilience and positive environmental impacts despite differences in motivation, scale, and systemic goals. This paper suggests that industrial designers can learn from the principles of cottage industry production systems, not to revive nostalgic models, but as a useful source of insight that fosters place-based, context-specific materials. By combining insights from history and contemporary practices, this approach seeks to enhance understanding of how industrial design can facilitate the transition towards designing out waste in a post-industrial world.
