Circle Sector

Recycling centre Eco-Oh in Houthalen processes single use plastic packaging into a granulate that is used to make products like picnic benches. The recycling process involves collecting, washing, shredding, remelting and remolding plastics. Circle Sector collaborated with Eco-Oh to explore alternative strategies for recycling plastics.

Regardless of their potential as a natural resource, fish skins are currently considered a waste product of the food industry. More than 500 tons are thrown away each year. To explore the potential of fish skins as a natural resource, Elien Cruydt and Jolien Hendrickx produced a series of prototypes that consider the leather-like properties […]

Toni Taloni is an Antwerp based shoemaker. Until recently he produced custom shoes for his customers using traditional shoe making techniques. Unfortunately the time consuming process of shoemaking is to costly to continue his custom shoemaking services. He continues to focus on shoe repair.  Prolonging the life cycle of a product is an extremely valuable […]

Flagbag in Hasselt collects used plastic promo banners and upcycles them into reusable bags. Through these activities Flagbag aims to generate local employment and reduce plastic waste.

Karel Van Acker is professor circular economy at the KULeuven. He is also chairman of the sustainability council of the KULeuven. Karel explains that the circular economy is not only about recycling, it primarily about changing the way we produce and consume things. Strategies to facilitate this systemic change include repairing, sharing and prolonging the […]

Car tires are a continues waste stream that can be sourced locally in every part of the world. In Flanders car tires are recycled by Rubber Recycling. Each year 1,4 million car tires are recycled at the facilities of Rubber Recycling in Pelt. Because used car tires contain heavy metals they have to be processed […]

Design and research Lab Atelier Luma in Arles France, developed a bioplastic filament based on micro algae. A material innovation that allows 3D-printing of bioplastics. The filament is made out of micro algae. A resource that can clean the air by acting as a carbon particle filter, is completely biodegradable and is locally available on […]

Campus C-mine of the LUCA School Of Arts in Genk is the headquarters of the Circle Sector Lab and Studio. Luca School Of Arts is an academy for artistic research and education. It hosts five campuses spread out across the region of Flanders, Belgium. Campus C-mine in Genk has a strong focus on design research […]

Jef Vandebeek is the head of research and development at shoe manufacturer Ambiorix in Tongeren, Belgium. Jef has over 55 years of experience in designing and making shoes. He embodies the core values of Ambiorix; quality and craftsmanship. He combines his sense of craftsmanship with state of the production techniques like laser cutting. Jef shares […]

Custom Territory @ Mooi Festival 2018, picture by Senne Van Der Ven The Custom Territory Collective aims to transform the linear shoe industry into a local territory where the boundaries between making, designing and wearing can blur. Designers Cédric Van Hool, Miguel Warmenbol and Berre Brans initiated the Custom Territory Collective in the Circle Sector […]

The landscape in the agricultural region Haspengouw in Belgium is characterized by its apple and fruit trees. One of the main tourist attractions in the region are the blossoms on the fruit trees during springtime. Their main purpose of course is the production of fruit. As the productivity of the fruit trees is pushed to […]

Ben Hagenaars is a post-doc design researcher in the research group Interactions and teacher in the product design department of the LUCA School Of Arts in Genk, Belgium. He researches the role of the designer in relation to sustainability and circular economy. He initiated the Circle Sector project and integrated it within LUCA School Of […]