Design for circularity in manufacturing industries–operationalisation and decision support

Abstract

Achieving a more circular economy can be an important contributor to sustainable development. The successful implementation at the industrial level requires the development of circular products, services and business models. This paper addresses the compelling need for industrial product development to consider the entire life cycle of products from raw material extraction to the end of life to initiate and evaluate circular economy improvements such as lifetime extension or high-quality recycling. The actual implementation of circular economy in industrial product design processes hasn't yet been extensively researched. This paper operationalises a comprehensive design for circularity by conceptualising a decision support method for the industrial product development process based on literature analysis, decision matrix methodology, and expert evaluation. Results highlight the interplay of circular business models, ecodesign approaches, and product life cycle intensities and shape the basis for technical circular design principles and metrics as well as advanced implementation-oriented research in the field.