A framework to assess circularity across product-life cycle stages – A case study

Abstract

Circular product development is designing a product that has a scope of returning into its life cycle multiple times with a virtue of inflicting minimal harm to the environment, and such a product is also called a circular product. In their transformation from conventional to circular product development approaches, global organizations are now looking for specific methods and tools in measuring the circularity of their products. This paper offers an effective assessment system build upon a framework model developed, focusing purely on the circularity criteria related to product development. The assessment system bridges the gap by acting like a typical product circularity measurement tool. A products degree of circularity is the summation of its affinity towards circularity measured across all the life-cycle stages of that product. The proposed assessment system will help in the identification of hotspots across the life-cycle stages of product and assist the product designers by offering recommendations and guidelines to improve the degree of the circularity of their products.