Product Design in a Circular Economy: Development of a Typology of Key Concepts and Terms
Abstract
Summary: In a circular economy (CE), the economic and environmental value of materials is preserved for as long as possible by keeping them in the economic system, either by lengthening the life of the products formed from them or by looping them back in the system to be reused. The notion of waste no longer exists in a CE, because products and materials are, in principle, reused and cycled indefinitely. Taking this description as a starting point, the article asks which guiding principles, design strategies, and methods are required for circular product design and to what extent these differ from the principles, strategies, and methods of eco‐design. The article argues that there is a fundamental distinction to be made between eco‐design and circular product design and proceeds to develop, based on an extensive literature review, a set of new concepts and definitions, starting from a redefinition of product lifetime and introducing new terms such as presource and recovery horizon . The article then takes Walter Stahel's Inertia Principle as the guiding principle in circular product design and develops a typology of approaches for Design for Product Integrity, with a focus on tangible durable consumer products. The newly developed typology contributes to a deeper understanding of the CE as a concept and informs the discussion on the role of product design in a CE.
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Material and structural durability are key technical specifications to extend lifetime.
“Material and structural durability (e.g., resistance to use conditions, such as exposure to extreme temperatures, deformation risks, and degradation due to contact with other substances) are key technical specifications to extend lifetime [50,57,58].”
From Characterisation and environmental value proposition of reuse models for fast-moving consumer goods: reusable packaging and products (2021) · cites this paper as [58]
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- Authors
- den Hollander, M. C., Bakker, C. A., & Hultink, E. J.
- Affiliations
- Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering Delft University of Technology the Netherlands
- Delft University of Technology (NL)
- ORCID
- Bakker, Conny A.
- Venue
- Journal of Industrial Ecology
- Published
- 2017-05-15
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 517-525
- ISSN
- 1088-1980 (ISSN-L)
- 1530-9290
- OpenAlex
- W2614647477
- Cited by
- 736
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 90 · 2025: 98 · 2024: 96 · 2023: 104 · 2022: 88 · 2021: 86 · 2020: 82 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 7
- FWCI
- 44.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Industrial Ecology (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Seventh Framework Programme (603843)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Design and Development
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management of Technology and Innovation › Product Development and Customization
- Keywords
- circular economy, circular product design, eco-design, product lifetime, recycling and reuse, design strategies
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