Circular economy at the heart of Budapest Design Week

The central theme of this year's Budapest Design Week is the circular economy, which will be held in hybrid form by the Hungarian Design Council and the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office between 1 and 11 October, in addition to the classic venues.

The circular economy accompanies the product from cradle to cradle, and the transition to it affects all sectors of the economy, stressed Anita Boros, Secretary of State for Construction, Infrastructure Environment and Sustainability at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (ITM) in a video message.
He drew attention to the fact that, according to the latest data from EUROSTAT, the circular material use rate in Hungary is slightly less than 7 percent, which indicates that there is a need for improvement. The aim of the Ministry is to support innovation, innovative and creative ideas related to the transition to a circular economy.
He highlighted that the newest photo competition of the ITM, entitled "Use it again, use it several times", serves this purpose, and applications for the competition can be submitted until 1 December.
Zsófia Bata-Jakab, head of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (MDDÜ) said that the agency is a professional partner of the event for the third time. The aim of the professional partnership is to create an innovative, forward-looking event for professionals and design-sensitive audiences, so that the flow of information between designers, distributors, manufacturers and potential buyers can take place without barriers.
He highlighted: in order to strengthen the industry, it is very important for the Agency to make the general public aware of the ‘timeless creativity’ that encompasses and permeates Hungarian design and to draw attention to the creativity of designers.
The agency organizes professional roundtable discussions in Budapest and, according to their plans, in Győr and Veszprém, as well as 360. It will also launch a physical and digital platform called Design Budapest, the event said in a statement.
As in previous years, the festival is sponsored and financed by the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office and organised by the Hungarian Design Council.
Gyula Pomázi, President of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office, said that the hybrid event offers many opportunities for innovation from designers and businesses. This presentation will help the general public to understand the impact of design and innovation on our daily lives, the President stressed.
Judit Osvárt, the professional leader of the programme series and member of the Hungarian Design Council, emphasized that this year's event will be based on two main types of programmes: from self-developed content and programs, as well as programs organized by external partners that join Budapest Design Weeks. The jury appointed by the Hungarian Design Council selects the participants of the event from among the external applicants. The Hungarian Design Award and the Design Management Award will be presented at the event again this year.
This year, the Open Studios program will also be held in the form of an unusual online series, which will give an insight into the workshop of Hungarian designers and design studios. A series of videos will introduce you to unique, creative solutions that were created as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Businesses and initiatives where the circular economy plays a strategic role are also presented through short films.
Judit Osvárt stressed: in addition to and partly linked to the topic of coronavirus force majeure, sustainability is currently the most important issue in the world, with the circular economy going beyond simple reuse and adopting a more complex approach as a key aspect.