Morph Bags is not a typical company.
It was not launched in pusuit of profits and we have no desire for growth beyond that which It exists to make meaningful impact through what it produces — recovering materials that would otherwise be wasted, partnering with skilled makers, and demonstrating what circular production can look like in practice. But sustainable products alone aren’t enough. Getting to a genuinely sustainable economy requires new ways of thinking, communities willing to work together on hard problems, and institutions willing to be challenged.
That’s why teaching and community engagement have remained central to my work, rather than sidelines to Morph. They are both as expressions of the same set of values and commitments that gave rise to it. I work to build community, share ideas, build programs, advocate for change, and show up in classrooms and coalitions well beyond the scope of what we sell. This page shares examples of that work to help share a fuller picture of the collective effort towards positive systems change.
— Chris Oestereich, Founder, Morph Bags
University Teaching & Guest Lecturing
Thammasat University — School of Global Studies
For the past decade, I’ve lectured at Thammasat University’s School of Global Studies in Bangkok, teaching systems thinking, social innovation, advocacy, and social enterprise. The program is active learning model designed to put students in direct contact with real problems and real constraints. GSSE’s approach is built around engagement rather than passive instruction — students work through genuine challenges, test ideas, and develop the skills and confidence to drive change themselves. It’s been one of the most rewarding parts of my work, and it shapes how I think about almost everything else I do.
In 2017, I led the launch an effort to develop case studies focused on social entrepreneurship and social innovation in Southeast Asia. The SGS Case Centre was established through a grant partnership between SGS and The HEAD Foundation. We started this effort to develop contextually relevant cases for our students. The case studies are relevant to educators and learners who wish to better understand social endeavours in non-governmental organisations, international development organisations, social enterprises, and community-based efforts to address complex challenges.
Guest Lecturing: Asia, the US, and Europe
Beyond Thammasat, I’ve had the privilege of sharing and teaching about circular economy and systems thinking to groups across Asia, as well as the US, and Europe. I’ve done so in classrooms, workshops. community settings, and conferences in working to help people rethink resource use. things from different perspectives is a towards rethinking resource use . If you’re organizing a program where this perspective might add value, I’d be glad to hear from you.
Community Building, Education, & Collaboration
We’re living through times of upheaval and rapid change. Complex challenges, the so-called wicked problems, are mounting all around us. Community building is an unalloyed force for good amid this uncertainty. Bringing people together around shared interests and concerns is foundational. It opens the door to things like knowledge sharing, trust building, and collaboration. As much as we believe in Morph’s potential for driving change, we are far more certain in the importance of community-building. The more we come together, the stronger we become.
CircularSTL
CircularSTL works to develop a circular economy in the St. Louis region, bringing together businesses, government, community groups, nonprofits, universities, and individuals to highlight innovative models and initiatives that help realize an economy that eliminates waste and keeps materials in circulation. I co-chair CircularSTL and am actively involved in building the coalition, developing education and resources, and supporting local circular economy efforts directly. Learn more: circularstl.org
The Circular Design Lab
The Circular Design Lab was born from a question a small group of us were asking at Thammasat: how could we foster a community capable of helping address some of the biggest challenges facing cities like Bangkok? I co-founded the CDL alongside Jett Virangkabutra, Courtney Savie Lawrence, and Praewa Satutum — all of us volunteers, most of us lecturers at Thammasat’s School of Global Studies.
The CDL brings people together to address environmental and social challenges using systemic and circular design as a process pathway to explore systems intervention possibilities — always with a systems thinking lens. Its model was built around genuine community participation: curated panel discussions with diverse voices on topics relevant to Bangkok and beyond, hands-on systemic design workshops, breakout discussions designed to give every participant a seat at the table, and regular social meetups to build the relationships that sustain a community over time. The first lab case focused on Bangkok’s waste management system. From there, the CDL expanded to take on air pollution, unsustainable fashion supply chains, ocean plastic, and food systems — always with the same collaborative, volunteer-powered ethos.
Learn more via the CDL’s site: circulardesignlab.org
1. University Teaching & Guest Lecturing
Thammasat University — School of Global Studies
I’ve lectured at Thammasat University’s School of Global Studies in Bangkok, teaching systems thinking, social innovation, advocacy, and social enterprise within an active learning model designed to put students in direct contact with real problems and real constraints. Thammasat’s approach is built around engagement rather than passive instruction — students work through genuine challenges, test ideas, and develop the skills and confidence to drive change themselves. It’s been one of the most rewarding and formative parts of my work, and it’s shaped how I think about almost everything else I do.
Guest Lecturing: Asia, the US, and Europe
Beyond Thammasat, I’ve had the privilege of bringing circular economy and systems thinking to audiences across Asia, the United States, and Europe — in classrooms, community settings, and conferences. These conversations matter to me because changing how people think about resources is a prerequisite for changing how we use them. If you’re organizing a program where this perspective might add value, I’d be glad to hear from you. [Link to Contact]
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