Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pftt2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-09T01:53:45.246Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Circular products: the balance between sustainability and excessive margins in design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

Arindam Brahma ,
Sophie I. Hallstedt ,
David C. Wynn  and
Ola Isaksson
Arindam Brahma*
Affiliation:
Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Sophie I. Hallstedt
Affiliation:
Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
David C. Wynn
Affiliation:
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Ola Isaksson
Affiliation:
Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
*
brahma@chalmers.se

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

As the world deals with climate change, it is crucial that new products are designed to be more sustainable. Product design strategies which conform to the Circular Economy principles have recently gained attention, which promote sustainability and resource efficiency. However, such strategies require careful consideration of uncertainties and the ways to mitigate them, e.g. by using margins. The pursuit of circularity can inadvertently lead to overdesign as designers strive to mitigate elevated risks, thereby making a product less sustainable. In this paper, we explore this balance.

Keywords

sustainable designproduct designcircular economymarginuncertainty
Type
Design for Sustainability
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 4: DESIGN 2024 , May 2024 , pp. 1199 - 1208
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2024.

References

Baxter, W., Aurisicchio, M. and Childs, P. (2017), “Contaminated Interaction: Another Barrier to Circular Material Flows”, J Ind Ecol, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 507–516. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12612CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bocken, N.M.P., de Pauw, I., Bakker, C. and van der Grinten, B. (2016), “Product design and business model strategies for a circular economy”, J Ind Prod Eng, Taylor & Francis, Vol. 33 No. 5, pp. 308–320.https://doi.org/10.1080/21681015.2016.1172124Google Scholar
Brahma, A., Ferguson, S., Eckert, C. and Isaksson, O. (2023), “Margins in design – review of related concepts and methods”, J Eng Des, Taylor & Francis, pp. 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/09544828.2023.2225842Google Scholar
Brahma, A. and Wynn, D.C. (2020), “Margin value method for engineering design improvement”, Res Eng Des, Springer, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 353–381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-020-00335-8Google Scholar
Burke, H., Zhang, A. and Wang, J.X. (2023), “Integrating product design and supply chain management for a circular economy”, Prod Plan & Cont, Taylor & Francis, Vol. 34 No. 11, pp. 1097–1113.https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2021.1983063Google Scholar
Byggeth, S. and Hochschorner, E. (2006), “Handling trade-offs in Ecodesign tools for sustainable product development and procurement”, J Clean Prod, Elsevier, Vol. 14 No. 15–16, pp. 1420–1430. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2005.03.024Google Scholar
Carlsson, S., Mallalieu, A., Almefelt, L. and Malmqvist, J. (2021), “Design for longevity - A framework to support the designing of a product's optimal lifetime”, Proceedings of the Design Society, Vol. 1, Cambridge University Press, pp. 1003–1012. https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2021.100Google Scholar
Castro, C.G., Trevisan, A.H., Pigosso, D.C.A. and Mascarenhas, J. (2022), “The rebound effect of circular economy: Definitions, mechanisms and a research agenda”, J Clean Prod, Elsevier, Vol. 345, p. 131136. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2022.131136Google Scholar
Ceschin, F. and Gaziulusoy, I. (2016), “Evolution of design for sustainability: From product design to design for system innovations and transitions”, Des Stud, Elsevier, Vol. 47, pp. 118–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.DESTUD.2016.09.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carl, Dalhammar, and Milios, L. and Luth, and R.J. (2021), “Ecodesign and the Circular Economy: Conflicting Policies in Europe”, in Kishita Yusuke, and Matsumoto, M., Masato, and I. and Shinichi, and F. (Eds.), EcoDesign and Sustainability I: Products, Services, and Business Models, Springer, pp. 187–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6779-7_14Google Scholar
Earl, C., Johnson, J. and Eckert, C. (2005), “Complexity”, in John, Clarkson and Eckert, C. (Ed.), Design Process Improvement: A Review of Current Practice, Springer London, London, pp. 174–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-061-0_8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eckert, C., Clarkson, P.J. and Zanker, W. (2004), “Change and customisation in complex engineering domains”, Res Eng Des, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-003-0031-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eckert, C. and Isaksson, O. (2017), “Safety Margins and Design Margins: A Differentiation between Interconnected Concepts”, Complex Systems Engineering and Development, Vol. 60, pp. 267–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2017.03.140CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eckert, C., Isaksson, O. and Earl, C. (2019), “Design margins: a hidden issue in industry”, Des Sci, Vol. 5, p. 9. https://doi.org/10.1017/dsj.2019.7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eckert, C., Isaksson, O., Lebjioui, S., Earl, C.F. and Edlund, S. (2020), “Design margins in industrial practice”, Des Sci, Cambridge University Press, Vol. 6, p. e30. https://doi.org/10.1017/dsj.2020.19Google Scholar
Esposito, M., Tse, T. and Soufani, K. (2018), “Introducing a Circular Economy: New Thinking with New Managerial and Policy Implications”, Calif Manage Rev, Vol. 60 No. 3, pp. 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125618764691CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallaud, D. and Laperche, B. (2016), Circular Economy, Industrial Ecology and Short Supply Chain, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119307457CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Georgescu-Roegen, N. (1971), The Entropy Law and the Economic Process, The Entropy Law and the Economic Process, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674281653CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, R.B. (2006), “Beyond the pillars: sustainability assessment as a framework for effective integration of social, economic and ecological considerations in significant decision-making”, J Environ Assess Policy Manag, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 259–280. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1464333206002517CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamraz, B., Hisarciklilar, O., Rahmani, K., Wynn, D.C., Thomson, V. and Clarkson, P.J. (2013), “Change prediction using interface data”, Conc Eng, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1063293X1348247CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hastings, D. and McManus, H. (2004), “A framework for understanding uncertainty and its mitigation and exploitation in complex systems”, 2004 Engineering Systems Symposium, pp. 29–31.Google Scholar
den Hollander, M.C., Bakker, C.A. and Hultink, E.J. (2017), “Product Design in a Circular Economy: Development of a Typology of Key Concepts and Terms”, J Ind Ecol, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 517–525. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12610CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, D. and Eckert, C. (2023), “Hidden overdesign in building services: insights from two UK hospital case studies”, J Eng Des, Taylor & Francis, Vol. 34 No. 7, pp. 437–461. doi.org/10.1080/09544828.2023.2231156Google Scholar
Korhonen, J., Honkasalo, A. and Seppälä, J. (2018), “Circular Economy: The Concept and its Limitations”, Ecol Econ, Elsevier, Vol. 143, pp. 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECOLECON.2017.06.041Google Scholar
Kravchenko, M., Pigosso, D.C.A. and McAloone, T.C. (2021), “A Trade-Off Navigation Framework as a Decision Support for Conflicting Sustainability Indicators within Circular Economy Implementation in the Manufacturing Industry”, Sustainability, Vol. 13 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010314CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levine, G. and Hawkins, S. (1970), “Comments on Service Margins for Ships”, Nav Eng J, Vol. 82 No. 5, pp. 75-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1970.tb04362.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linton, J.D. and Jayaraman, V. (2005), “A framework for identifying differences and similarities in the managerial competencies associated with different modes of product life extension”, Int J Prod Res, Taylor & Francis, Vol. 43 No. 9, pp. 1807–1829. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528160512331326440Google Scholar
Lordos, G.C., Hoffman, J.A. and de Weck, O.L. (2023), “Lifetime Embodied Energy: A Theory of Value for the New Space Economy”, in Badescu, V., Zacny, K. and Bar-Cohen, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of Space Resources, Springer, Cham, pp. 1053–1107. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97913-3_32CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mestre, A. and Cooper, T. (2017), “Circular Product Design. A Multiple Loops Life Cycle Design Approach for the Circular Economy”, The Design Journal, Routledge, Vol. 20 No. sup1, pp. S1620–S1635, https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1352686Google Scholar
Möller, N. and Hansson, S.O. (2008), “Principles of engineering safety: Risk and uncertainty reduction”, Reliab Eng Syst Saf, Vol. 93 No. 6, pp. 798–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2007.03.031CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moreno, M., los Rios, C., Rowe, Z. and Charnley, F. (2016), “A Conceptual Framework for Circular Design”, Sustainability, Vol. 8 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8090937CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pigosso, D., McAloone, T. and Rozenfeld, H. (2015), “Characterization of the State-of-the-art and Identification of Main Trends for Ecodesign Tools and Methods: Classifying Three Decades of Research and Implementation”, J Indian Inst Sci, Vol. 95, pp. 405–427.Google Scholar
Potting, J., Hekkert, M.P., Worrell, E., Hanemaaijer, A. and others. (2017), “Circular economy: measuring innovation in the product chain”, Planbureau Voor de Leefomgeving, PBL publishers.Google Scholar
Schischke, K., Proske, M., Nissen, N.F. and Schneider-Ramelow, M. (2019), “Impact of modularity as a circular design strategy on materials use for smart mobile devices”, MRS Energy & Sustainability, Cambridge University Press, Vol. 6 No. 1, p. 16. https://doi.org/10.1557/mre.2019.17Google Scholar
Suh, N.P. (1999), “A Theory of Complexity, Periodicity and the Design Axioms”, Res Eng Des, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 116–132. https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00003883CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tam, E., Soulliere, K. and Sawyer-Beaulieu, S. (2019), “Managing complex products to support the circular economy”, Resour Conserv Recycl, Elsevier, Vol. 145, pp. 124–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2018.12.030CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, J.X., Burke, H. and Zhang, A. (2022), “Overcoming barriers to circular product design”, Int J Prod Econ, Elsevier, Vol. 243, p. 108346. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJPE.2021.108346CrossRefGoogle Scholar