During Circular Economy Week, the SDN Netherlands Chapter organized a meetup exploring the intersection of sustainability and service design. The event was kindly hosted by DesignThinkers Amsterdam, and we had the pleasure of hearing from Miranda de Groot and Andrea Vos.

Miranda de Groot - Systemic Studio

Miranda is a Circular & Regenerative Experience Designer who strives to create experiences that drive the circular economy. By identifying opportunities to (re)design products and services for the entire lifecycle, she aims to eliminate waste and prolong product life. Additionally, she integrates regenerative practices that enhance ecosystems and increase biodiversity.

In her presentation, Miranda gave us a crash course on essential sustainability jargon, followed by a compelling pitch on how circularity presents a valuable business opportunity—driving cost savings, new revenue streams, supply chain resilience, and talent attraction, among other benefits. We explored circular business models and real-world examples of companies successfully implementing them.

Miranda also helped us recognize how, as service designers, we are already working within circular models—and how we can adjust certain tools to better account for planetary impact.

Finally, she encouraged the audience to shift from “doom-thinking” to “do-thinking.”

Andrea Vos - Circulaw

Andrea is a freelance designer who leads teams in creating impactful services, systems, and experiences that enhance lives by simplifying complexity, reducing friction, and delivering lasting value. With expertise in user experience, service design, and design strategy, she transforms core challenges into actionable opportunities. She also guides teams in developing meaningful, achievable solutions while fostering a positive, focused environment.

For the past two years, Andrea has worked on CircuLaw, a knowledge platform that helps policymakers, project leaders, and purchasers make better use of regulations to promote the circular economy.

In her insightful presentation, Andrea discussed the crucial role of policy and legislation in the transition to a circular economy. CircuLaw supports this shift by providing policymakers in the Netherlands with comprehensive information, training, and services. She shared key insights from her work and demonstrated how service design played a pivotal role in shaping CircuLaw for measurable impact.

The event wrapped up with questions, discussions, and time to connect, accompanied by catering provided by DesignThinkers. A big thank you to them for hosting!