Dealing with barriers to repair from the repairers’ perspective

Repair is a key component of the circular economy paradigm and holds great environmental potential. Our current linear economies, which rely on constantly expanding markets, are not conceived to be restorative and hence create structural barriers to repair. Through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires we explore the commercial repairers’ perspective on barriers to repair, as well as their agency and the strategies they employ to overcome those barriers. Our research has shown that repairers tend to bypass barriers by means of specific repair techniques and cooperation networks.&nbsp

Examining longevity in tools for a circular economy

Industrial production contributes significantly to ecological sustainability challenges. One guiding approach to address these challenges is the circular economy. Slowing down resource flows is one of the main strategies of the circular economy. This involves extending the lifespan of products within and across multiple life cycles and increasing their utilization intensity. Various tools have been developed to support companies in adopting circular economy practices. This study examines how these tools facilitate designing for product longevity.  Specifically, the study analyzes 10 tools — five recent tools identified in academic literature and five first emerging through internet scraping. These tools are annotated and coded to reveal qualitative insights regarding the level of longevity they address (theoretical and methodological insights) and how these tools help handling longevity-related aspects (practical and applied insights). The findings highlight how these tools contribute to extending product lifespans and identify the extent to which they could support slowing down resource flows.&nbsp

Circularity Indicators for Packaging: A Literature Review and System-Based Classification

The transition to a Circular Economy (CE) in the packaging industry is vital to address growing environmental problems. Circularity indicators play a critical role in evaluating progress and guiding decision-making. However, existing indicators lack suitability for packaging and do not factor in the systemic considerations required for successful transition to CE. This study identified 21 circularity indicators relevant to packaging, critically assessing their: suitability for the packaging industry; and inclusion of systemic considerations across lifecycle stages such as sourcing, design and production, distribution, use, and end-of-life. Using a three-point scale (extensive inclusion, partial inclusion and none), the indicators are classified to establish the extent to which they consider systems, such as Packaging Characteristic, Infrastructure, Value and Regulation. The analysis highlights several gaps, including overemphasis on end-of-life systems, limited consideration of value for stakeholders, insufficient alignment with upstream systems, and inadequate consideration of regional infrastructure and regulation. The findings underline the need for future indicators to adopt a holistic approach, integrating diverse systems to enable effective CE strategy implementation. By highlighting these gaps, this research lays the groundwork for developing robust indicators that not only assess circularity but also guide the packaging industry toward a realistic implementation of CE strategies

Enhancing Critical Raw Material Usage through Battery Cell Extraction and Reuse

This paper proposes a circular economy business model for recycling and remanufacturing Bosch Gen 3 batteries to enhance sustainability and economic viability. The model integrates collection, robotic disassembly, and state-of-health-based categorisation to extract the most valuable, reusable cells and then tests a battery remanufacturing option to maximize profit and critical raw material recovery. Two collection methods are analysed: incentivized returns (Option 1) and battery waste sorting at recycling centres (Option 2). A Monte Carlo simulation evaluates profitability with several uncertainties, including logistics and deposit refunds. Option 1 is more likely to obtain higher-quality cells, but is less likely to be profitable due to the high costs associated with the incentive, while Option 2 is more cost-effective, but yields lower-quality cells. This study highlights opportunities to optimize incentives and recycling value, providing a scalable framework for sustainable battery end-of-life management

No Product Lifetime! Why products fails pre-consumer

Approximately 40% of new product introduction fail when entering the market. Thus valuable resources are spent producing products that never achieve a product lifetime with any users. Companies tend to remove products from their portfolio because of poor sales figures or because they are no longer representing the company’s strategies, but they do so without reflecting on why these exact products failed. This tendency might lead to products repeating the same mistakes that are destined to fail. The purpose of this paper is to investigate failed products from small Danish design companies in order to learn from these mistakes and prevent them from happening again. Factors leading to product failure have been studied by analyzing 35 specific products from two small Danish design companies. By examining the companies’ own reasons for discontinuing these products, the study identifies key contributing factors, including portfolio management, product insecurities, and reliance on existing product success

Selling repurposed furniture: An exploratory study into consumer perception

Repurpose is becoming more popular as a circularity strategy. This circularity strategy is specifically promising in the case of furniture. One of the challenges of upscaling repurpose is the negative consumer perception of repurposed products. Studies up to date pertain to consumer perception of refurbished products and products using recycled content. In this study we investigate (1) to which extent the motives mentioned within literature play a role when it comes to consumers’ perception of repurposed furniture and (2) to what extent the visibility of past identity of repurposed furniture and storytelling play a role in consumer perception. The result indicate that aesthetic and functional quality are highly valued. Storytelling seems to be a secondary motive for customers to consider a repurposed product. We further identified three categories of repurposed furniture (i.e., visibly repurposed, non-visibly repurposed and unique look) that appeal to different consumer segments. While further research can be done into the demographic profiles, these categories can be used by designers/makers to make repurposed products that better appeal to their envisioned customer base.   &nbsp

Behind the Stars: Consumer Personality and Review Composition for New and Refurbished Products

The rapid growth of e-commerce and technological advancements has amplified the production of electronic waste (E-waste). Refurbished products offer a sustainable alternative by extending product lifecycles, yet consumer behavior toward these products remains underexplored in many regions, including India. This study investigates key product attributes and psychological characteristics of consumers, analyzing 2,189 refurbished and 4,967 new product reviews using text mining and linguistic analysis tools. The findings highlight significant differences in consumer preferences, with refurbished product consumers prioritizing Battery health, Service-related aspects, packaging, and hygiene, while new product buyers emphasize features and aesthetic factors. Psychological differences are evident as refurbished product consumers exhibit a more positive tone and goal-driven reasoning while the new product consumers show more structured analytical evaluation. Using Constructive Decision-Making Theory (CDMT), the study explains how consumers of refurbished products construct satisfaction by reinforcing their choices post-purchase. The findings offer insights for refurbishers, policymakers, and marketers to foster trust and adoption of refurbished products through marketing strategy, standardized practices, and certifications while aligning with consumers’ decision-making process

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure: Actor constellations to prolong the life of ‘new waste’ resources

The overconsumption of finite resources and the growing climate crisis necessitate innovative manufacturing waste management approaches. This study investigates the untapped potential of redesigning waste materials—specifically, pre-consumer waste or "new waste"—to create value while mitigating environmental impact. Unlike recycling or disposal, this approach leverages the inherent qualities of discarded manufacturing materials derived from virgin resources, aligning with the European Union's waste hierarchy principles. Using a multiple case study methodology, we analysed eight collaborations between manufacturing companies and industrial designers. The actor-resources-activities model was employed to understand how these partnerships foster redesign and prolong material lifespans. Our findings reveal that strategic actor roles and interactions are crucial in activating redesign potential, enabling the transformation of waste materials into new products. The crucial actor roles consist of an industrial designer, a waste owner, a waste processor, and a sales & distribution actor. The results highlight significant business and environmental opportunities, including cost reductions and waste diversion from landfills. However, realising this potential requires targeted interventions to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborations and align objectives among stakeholders. By illustrating successful constellations of actors and processes, this research provides actionable insights into unlocking new avenues for circular economy practices in manufacturing