The Circular Shift Panel Discussion | Circular Design Summit 2025

This episode is a recorded panel session from the Circular Design Summit 2025 explores how design can accelerate the shift toward a circular economy by rethinking roles, materials, and systems. Moderated by Karel J. Golta, the conversation brings together perspectives from Kathie Morgenroth (Google), Steffen Erath (Hansgrohe), and Markus Kühlert (Wuppertal Institute). The panelists discuss the need for transdisciplinary collaboration, integration of compliance into early-stage design, and redefining what it means to be a designer in the context of sustainability. From hardware-software integration to product-as-a-service models, the discussion highlights how circularity requires embedding longevity, repairability, and desirability into the entire product experience. This episode is part of the Circular Design Summit series, a Circularity.fm series in collaboration with the German Design Council.