Quantifying total lifetimes of consumer products: Stochastic modelling accounting for second-hand use and establishing an open-collaborative database

Abstract

Data on the total product lifetimes, which is much needed in the fields of sustainability and circularity assessment, is currently sparse and challenging to measure. To meet such data and methodological needs, the first information system of its kind has been developed as part of this research. While an online portal collects and stores consumer reports on use and disposal patterns for various electronics owned and used, the harvested survey data was automatically fed into a novel stochastic model that allowed estimating the total lifetimes and durability of the different products considering the impacts of second-hand use. This was done without reliance on auxiliary market statistics and costly facility-based analysis while preserving a satisfactory degree of accuracy. Additionally, the structure of the collected data allows for measuring the effects of the different circular practices (repair, reuse, recycling, etc.) on product longevity which is of specific interest to researchers and policymakers.