Abstract
This paper examines how designers can contribute to the sustainable transition by retaining intrinsic value in imperfect, discarded materials from manufacturing. With European manufacturing generating over 230 million tons of waste annually, potential lies in using such materials at their processing stage as substitutes for virgin materials into new products. Drawing on a Danish research project with 22 material discards, the study categorises and characterises the materials into offcuts, rejected materials, rejected objects, process waste, and excess materials, each varying in imperfection parameters, predictability, variability, and data availability. The analysis examines how designers retain intrinsic value embedded in prior processing when transferring it into new product designs. Function, form, and material composition are identified as key aspects of preserving material integrity for value retention. The study conceptualises the Reshape strategy as a design-led circular approach that leverages these factors to integrate pre-consumer discarded materials into new product development.
Keywords
Value retention, Product design, Sustainability, Imperfections
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2103
Citation
Sander, N., and Laursen, L.N. (2026) Preserving material integrity: Designing for value retention in imperfect, discarded materials, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2103
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Preserving material integrity: Designing for value retention in imperfect, discarded materials
This paper examines how designers can contribute to the sustainable transition by retaining intrinsic value in imperfect, discarded materials from manufacturing. With European manufacturing generating over 230 million tons of waste annually, potential lies in using such materials at their processing stage as substitutes for virgin materials into new products. Drawing on a Danish research project with 22 material discards, the study categorises and characterises the materials into offcuts, rejected materials, rejected objects, process waste, and excess materials, each varying in imperfection parameters, predictability, variability, and data availability. The analysis examines how designers retain intrinsic value embedded in prior processing when transferring it into new product designs. Function, form, and material composition are identified as key aspects of preserving material integrity for value retention. The study conceptualises the Reshape strategy as a design-led circular approach that leverages these factors to integrate pre-consumer discarded materials into new product development.