CIRCULAR

DESIGN

Big Ideas, Real Impact

KENNY ARNOLD

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    WRITING

    Interested in circular design thinking at the intersection of play, sustainability, and technology?

    Read The Riparian

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    DESIGNS

    Products, services, and systems designed for circularity, from playground furniture to e-waste dashboards.

    See my work


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    TOOLS

    Interactive research and tools that make circular economy data explorable. Topics include electronics circularity, e-waste, and critical mineral recovery.

    Explore the tools

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    ABOUT

    Industrial designer of 15 years, now focused exclusively on enabling a circular economy.


    About me

TOOLS

  • Where is the most supportive environment for EVs in the US in 2026? Find out here

  • How might we visualize the demand for critical minerals?

  • Ever wonder what's in your cell phone?

  • AI-powered circular concept generator that identifies a problem to solve and creates a design brief

  • Item description

Interactive research and digital tools that support a circular economy.

PROJECT

Critical minerals in phones

Click a colored element to see its function, content, recycling rate, and projected demand. Click a gray element to see its status.

Element content & supply risk — brightly colored elements are present in the phone

Not a major component
Critical risk (Level 5) — conflict / high geopolitical risk
High risk (Level 4)
Data applies to an average smartphone model (2018–2022). Content mass varies significantly by manufacturer and battery chemistry.

[S1] Orton Geological Museum, Ohio State University — ortonmuseum.osu.edu
[S2] USGS Geologic Survey (GIP 167) — pubs.usgs.gov
[S3] He et al. (2019) / Cucchiella et al. (2015) — metal content (g/unit) in smartphones
[S4] Fairphone / CompoundChem / Cobalt Institute — recycling rates and supply chain risk
[S5] IEA / Statista / Cobalt Institute Forecasts — projected demand growth to 2030, primarily driven by EVs and energy storage

OPPORTUNITY

Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.

concept

Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.

Critical minerals in phones

EV Incentive finder

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Data from the U.S. Department of Energy via NREL API. Programs marked expired, archived, or repealed are filtered out. State data is updated annually — always verify current status with the relevant authority before making purchase or tax decisions.