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This paper aims to investigate the supply chain and reverse channels of expanded polystyrene packaging connection in Brazil and their roles to discuss the main challenges towards circular economy. In order to achieve this goal, we propose a four-step method, anchored in the literature, technical visits, and interviews with experts in the expanded polystyrene (EPS) industry. First, the EPS supply chain was characterised and mapped, and secondly, the stakeholders and logistics activities in reverse channels were analysed. Third, the Brazilian legislation and chain structure was reviewed to obtain an understanding of how this can influence the activities developed in reverse channels. Fourth, with an analysis of the data collected before, the barriers to implement EPS reverse chain were presented. The main results establish that the EPS can complete one cycle of the circular economy, which is recycling, but products need to be separated and washed. The most significant waste generators are public and private institutions, residences, and retailers. Notable barriers to its recycling are a lack of understanding of the nature of expanded polystyrene recycling by Brazilian people, high transport cost due to material density, and the dispersion of post-consumer expanded polystyrene in several regions of the country linked with the small number of recycling facilities. Finally, this issue could be explored in industries and companies that require their managers to adopt strategies to improve reverse logistics in order to promote the circular economy. The companies' actions could facilitate a stronger circular supply chain since they could increase recycling efforts, reduce expanded polystyrene waste, and present new business models. The resulting generation of employment would contribute to the quality of life of contemporary society. The findings presented in the paper enable industries to identify and guide the most demanding significant steps and processes, and to shift the reverse chain and expanded polystyrene recycling to ensure that they operate more efficiently. • Reverse logistics as the first step towards circular supply chain. • The paper maps the expanded polystyrene packaging supply chain and its reverse logistics. • This paper presents the barriers that hinder the reverse logistics in Brazil. • The main challenges are related to the consumers and the recycling industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Reduced product lifespan results in accelerated flow of materials and ultimately more waste. Rapid technology cycles, frequently changing consumer preferences and increasing market competition, provide consumers with an opportunity to use products with more functions and better quality at a cheaper price. Consequently, these products quickly become technologically, psychologically, or economically obsolete—even before the actual end of their physical life/economic value—resulting in shorter product life cycles. These products are often disposed as landfill. In this context, it can be argued that reduced product lifespan has a significant impact toward, both the environment and the economy. To address this issue, our study investigates the concept of upgradability while exploring its potential as a product lifetime extension strategy. Several research papers regarding product upgradability have been published in the past in a variety of settings/domains. However, the collective contributions of these papers have yet to be summarized in order to provide a platform of knowledge for furthering the research on upgradability. To contribute to the body of knowledge, this article aims to identify, interpret, and summarize the current literature available on product upgradability. First results indicate growing interest and promising potential of upgradability as a product lifetime extension strategy, especially given the increasing importance of a product's middle of life phase in the context of Product-Service Systems (PSS). Additionally, upgradability facilitates the implementation of the circular economy, the dissemination of PSS, as well as remanufacturing approaches. However, our findings show that research on upgradable PSS is still dominated by theoretical work and more empirical research is necessary to further establish this concept. In terms of future work, there is a clear need to develop upgradeable PSS-specific design methodologies as well as associated sustainable business models. Highlights • Recently, there has been a fast-growing interest in upgradability related research. • Upgradability in the context of PSS has promising potential to extend product lifetime. • Upgradability facilitates the dissemination of circular economy and PSS. • Research on upgradable PSS is still dominated by theoretical work. • Need to develop design methodology and business models specific to upgradable PSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comply with a circular economy (CE) and gain significant financial, environmental, and societal benefits, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tend to adopt circular strategies, also known as "Rs". With a growing tendency to develop new Rs in CE frameworks, OEMs can become disoriented. While remanufacturing is often ranked low compared to other Rs, remanufacturing can still retain the highest product value (pull the used product value up to the top of the Retained Value Hill (see graphical abstract)).The aim of this paper is to align remanufacturing in comparison to other value-retaining processes (VRPs) in terms of the retained product value. To fulfill this aim, data was collected through a literature study and interviews with remanufacturers. The results show that although remanufacturing tends to demand more resources to retain a high product value, it outperforms other VRPs and delivers better output quality, assured with a longer warranty, neutral product identity, and extended (doubled or tripled) product use time. This paper enriches the research on remanufacturing, VRPs, and CE frameworks by showing that OEMs can ride the Retained Value Hill highest and longest only with remanufacturing. Retained Value Hill framework (inspired by Achterberg et al., 2016) with 6 VRPs: prepare for direct reuse, refresh, repair, recondition, refurbish, and remanufacture , where remanufacturing enables the longest and highest ride. The height of the Retained Value Hill refers to the retained product value, which reflects the output quality and can be measured by the exchange value in the economy. The length of the ride is a proxy of extended product life, which can be measured by the additional product use time. [Display omitted] • Numerous circular strategies disorient manufacturers. • Retained Value Hill framework orients manufacturers around circular strategies. • Manufacturers ride the Retained Value Hill highest and longest with remanufacturing. • Remanufacturing outperforms other value-retaining processes. • Retained Value Hill framework ranks remanufacturing high among circular strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of sustainability principles is becoming fundamental for companies, also for creating added value in the production processes. Production managers should not consider only the economic-financial aspects in their decisions, but also the environmental and social implications to extend the benefits to all current and future world populations. This vision requires to develop and apply sustainability-oriented methodologies to compare alternative production strategies. This paper contributes to addressing this problem by proposing a methodology that allows comparing different production strategies by considering their sustainable impact, starting with the definition of their processes. An aggregated sustainability index has been designed for this purpose. Thus, the paper contributes to the literature on the evaluation of sustainability through the development of a methodology, which can be used by the practitioners as a decision support tool to identify the most sustainable production strategy according to the objective of the company and the specific production process considered. Then, the proposed methodology has been applied to compare two different production strategies, i.e., AM-based remanufacturing and the production of new components. A simulation model has been implemented to reproduce the behaviour of the two competing production strategies. Although the results depend on the utilized data, this application showed that it is possible to distinguish different areas of convenience for each strategy. Moreover, findings revealed that the sustainability of the production strategies is strictly connected to the adopted technology and the importance given to the economic, environmental and social aspects by the company. • A sustainability based methodology for comparing production strategies is proposed. • Remanufacturing and new production strategies are considered. • Additive Manufacturing technologies are considered to conduct the assessment. • Remanufacturing is always the best strategy from the environmental perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ongoing development of urban infrastructure and higher living standards, waste glass has become a significant component of municipal solid waste that cannot be disregarded. To address this issue, researchers have been looking for sustainable solutions to establish Circular Economy best practices for the full value chain of products made of glass, particularly for waste from high-quality glass sheets. Unfortunately, most of this waste is either dumped in landfills or recycled in an open-loop manner, due to its diverse composition and low volume. However, with the advent of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 technologies, including machine-to-machine communication, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, collaborative robots, dynamic life cycle assessment, and advanced remanufacturing techniques, it could now become possible to characterize and recover end-of-life high-quality glass sheets like chemically strengthened glasses, e.g. used in smartphone screens, real time in smart factories for use in other high-tech applications. Such smart factories can economically produce on-demand batch-size 1 products, marking a fundamental transition from conventional recycling methods to a sustainable solution. This paper delves into the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in glass recycling research and the potential contributions of Industry 5.0, addressing its societal implications. It also introduces an intelligent method to assess and optimize the lifespan of smartphone screen glass, suggesting potential reuse or remanufacturing solutions. [Display omitted] • Challenges in traditional glass waste management and the complexities of recycling. • Recycling's contribution to resource conservation and the Circular Economy. • New methods for recovering high-value materials like Chemically Strengthened Glass. • Identification of research gaps and future directions for recovery of high-quality glass materials. • Influence of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 on advancing glass recovery practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste overproduction is a relevant issue in industrialised countries. Most empirical analyses investigate the problem using household consumption and urban waste generation data to identify behavioural patterns for policy design. However, industrial production and its geographical distribution significantly contribute to territorial waste generation and require specific treatments affecting waste metabolism. This paper focuses on the supply-side of waste production in three regions, namely Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, which are considered to be the industrial core of Italy. To further refine the analysis, we use a sub-regional territorial unit, the local labour market area (LLMA), which depicts the local configuration of waste production and treatment and supports estimating the territorial capacity to absorb and treat industrial waste. Combining data on industrial waste production and treatment to the socio-economic features of LLMA over the period 2015–2017, a composite indicator proxying the main waste metabolism constraints is proposed, considering three main dimensions: waste items' hazardousness and quantities, their main treatment in terms of disposal or recovery, and the physical distance travelled from the manufacturing site to the waste treatment plant. Once spatialized, the obtained index provides a geographical representation of waste-based territorial weaknesses. Results show that the density of manufacturing plants, the type of industrial specialisations, and the technological characteristics of such specialisations are the primary sources of constraints to industrial waste metabolism. Overall, the paper contributes to the field by offering an original tool to assess local production systems' main sources of industrial waste vulnerability. Accordingly, the use of the index can support place-based waste policies to improve manufacturing clusters' ecological transition. • Circular economy depends on a wide set of features of local production systems. • Waste metabolism is assessed by tracking industrial waste generation and treatment. • A waste-based indicator is proposed to map circularity at the territorial level. • Technology and industrial specialisations are the main drivers of circularity. • Policy should match waste-based ad territorial-based analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy is a sustainable economic development model. It replaces the traditional economic development model that relies heavily on resource consumption and waste generation. Circular economy is particularly important to the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry as e-waste contains toxic substances and precious metals. While previous review studies focused on specific aspects of the WEEE industry (e.g., "4R" circular economy strategies), these studies offer little details on how circular economy practices affect the development of the environment and economy in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. This study examines "10R" circular economy strategies to advance knowledge of the existing literature that focuses on "4R" circular economy strategies. To improve the methodology used in the previous review studies that apply subjective methods (e.g., content analysis), this paper conducts a systematic literature review on 208 studies and uses citation network analysis to examine specific circular economy practices in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. The citation network analysis identified five major research domains (i.e., "e-waste management systems and practices", "e-waste legislation and its components", "extended producer responsibility schemes", "recycling critical materials from e-waste", "circular economy strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry"). Based on these results, this study conducts a main path analysis to reveal ten major topics (i.e., e-waste recycling system; exploring untapped e-waste; compliance assurance of stakeholders; e-waste reverse logistics; reward and punishment mechanisms in extended producer responsibility system; verifying the rationality of product classification; recycling critical materials from urban mines; setting a specific target for preparation for reuse; "10R" strategies applied in the smart factory; consumer attitude toward remanufactured/refurbished/repurposed strategies and the resultant products) in the identified research domain. Finally, this paper proposes future research directions and provides managerial and policy implications for researchers and practitioners. • "10R" strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. • Effect of circular economy practices on environmental and economic performance. • Related publications evolution characteristics in 2003–2020. • Five key research domains of circular economy practices and their major topics. • Research directions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is acknowledged for its potential to support sustainable design. In this paper, we explore whether the opportunities that additive manufacturing offers for sustainable design are also useful when designing for a circular economy, and to what extent additive manufacturing can support design for a circular economy. We performed a literature review on the sustainability aspects of additive manufacturing and held a series of interviews with designers about their 3D printed design projects to obtain in-depth information. The interviews were analysed using annotated portfolios, a novel analysis method created specifically for this research. This resulted in a visual representation of the outcomes. We found that additive manufacturing supports circular design strategies by creating opportunities to extend a product's lifespan, for instance by enabling repair or upgrades, even if these products were not originally designed for ease of repair or upgrading. However, the use of monolithic structurally complex parts that support design for recyclability may hinder high value product recovery, like repair. Besides this, the current offer of 3D printable materials should be extended with materials developed for durable use, as well as high-value reuse. Concluding, when accounting for these drawbacks, additive manufacturing is able to support multiple product life cycles and can provide valuable contributions to a circular economy. • Additive manufacturing creates opportunities for applying circular design strategies. • Sustainable additive manufacturing opportunities should support multiple product lifecycles. • Availability of sustainable materials for additive manufacturing is an issue. • The interview data were analysed with annotated portfolios, a newly developed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Extended product life and reuse are cornerstones of the circular economy vision. Remanufacturing is one strategy that could be used to facilitate more reuse. Research on remanufacturing often addresses the use phase of a product from the perspective of the remanufacturer, not of the end-user of the product. Results are often described in terms of barriers and drivers, with end-user awareness of and trust in remanufactured products being common themes. It can be argued that such explanations are not sufficient for understanding why remanufacturing doesn't happen because they marginalize events during the use phase and the effects of end-user action. The study described here focuses on the use phase and the end-users' role in product remanufacturing outcome. The study is based on the case of one type of mechanical component, prolific in industry and society at large, and ten of its end-users in heavy industry. The component is already remanufacturable and a functioning remanufacturing system for it is already in place, yet the bulk of used component s are scrapped by end-users instead of being sent for remanufacturing. Interviews were conducted with maintenance personnel at ten paper, steel and cement factories. These personnel were asked how they determine when a component is obsolete and how they make decisions about whether to send them for remanufacturing. Responses were analyzed with the help of theories from maintenance management and decision-making. The analysis is presented as a conceptual model of the 'End-user system' of the component , in which complicating factors such as machine irregularities and tough work environments are mitigated by maintenance personnel with component replacement and remanufacturing protocols and where rigidities related to system-level risks and costs make it difficult for personnel to change. This study reveals the systemic nature of component remanufacturing outcomes, and specifically, how maintenance activities of both components and the machines around them influence such outcomes. Moreover, it highlights that while certain replacement protocols lend themselves to remanufacturing, convincing end-users to choose remanufactured products may be more difficult than just making them aware and confident in the remanufacturing offering. Highlights • Investigates why remanufacturable machine components in heavy industry are routinely scrapped. • Maintenance personnel are interviewed about component obsolescence and remanufacturing. • Presents a model of the end-user system from interviews, maintenance and decision-making theories. • Indicates that increasing end-user choice of remanufacturing requires a systemic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For the widespread establishment of a circular economy, the acceptance of used products among consumers is a prerequisite. This paper investigates the customer experience of product–service systems related to used products (PSSuP), such as renting, remanufacturing, and second-hand models, and aims to point out the offering characteristics that effect customer response and customer engagement. This study was conducted by means of a content analysis-based literature review of 69 empirical PSSuP studies. A frequency analysis of the categories that determine customer experience creation was conducted, as well as a contingency analysis to reveal the interrelationship between these categories. On this basis, the different PSSuP types were compared, and four strategic orientations of customer experience creation in PSSuP are pointed out: price, confidence, convenience, and delight orientation. For each of these strategic orientations, supportive PSSuP offering characteristics are specified. Building on the findings of this study, theoretical and managerial implications for product–service systems marketing are pointed out, and the need for research on the role of information and communication technology as an enabler of customer experience creation in PSSuP is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details the specific aims and purposes of the Damage Assessment Tracking Criteria; a series of evaluation tools designed to aid in remanufacturing inspection operations. The background and justification of this model, which is detailed in a separate work, identifies ill definition and an over reliance on opinion as barriers to effective inspection activities. Analysis of this issue led to the building of the Damage Assessment Tracking Criteria; a 4-model foundation that aims to provide a more comprehensive and more structured approach to the inspection stages of the typical remanufacturing process. Through expert opinion this model was evaluated multiple times. One review was used to gauge the level of idea communication within an academic situation, this was followed up by external industrial reviews of the model by those most likely to utilise it during industry practice. After extensive feedback and modification the final model assessment was carried out with an expert panel that were instructed to be as critical as possible with the model in order to ensure that its evaluation was as robust as possible. The results of these reviews were all on the positive side of the scale. Multiple statements regarding the potential value and suitability of each model aspect and justification for their use was presented in the format of an evaluation form which was used by those involved to present their findings and feedback. Negative feedback was addressed and successful modification yielding more positive results in the next evaluation was achieved. Though walking the line between specificity and generic was noted to be the most difficult factor to consider when developing the models, the final findings of the evaluation show that significant value was perceived by those operating within industry. The potential benefits of customised variants of the models is acknowledged by all parties as a possible future avenue of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growth of the research on lean and green manufacturing systems, consideration of how circular economy principles complement lean has been virtually absent from the literature due to a mismatch between research on lean green, which has focused on the internal manufacturing operations (product and process levels), and research on the circular economy, which takes a broader, more holistic view of environmental impact (the system level). Only a few researchers have considered the lean and the circular together. We argue that there is a need to understand the complementarities and conflicts between "lean" and "circularity". By combining the system level with process and product levels, this paper highlights which potentials in a lean manufacturing context are identified from a circular perspective and how to realize them. In this paper, we present a critical case study conducted at a Swedish manufacturing firm/original equipment manufacturer within the heavy-duty and off-road (HDOR) industry. Our results show that the company is locked into a lean and linear production, where material waste is not seen as a resource. We present how the three levels interplay and argue that they be combined when trying to integrate circular measures into this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remanufacturing is a viable way to prolong the useful life of an end-of-use product or its parts. Despite its economic, environmental, and social benefits, remanufacturing is associated with many challenges related to core (used product or its part) availability, timing and quality. The aim of this paper is to study how lean production could be used to tackle remanufacturing process challenges and contribute to shorter lead times. To meet this aim, we conducted a literature review and case studies of four remanufacturing companies. The case companies’ remanufacturing challenges were: (1) a lack of material requirements planning system, (2) poor core information, (3) a lack of core material, (4) poor spare parts information, (5) a lack of spare parts material, (6) insufficient quality management practices, (7) large inventories, (8) stochastic remanufacturing processes, (9) a lack of supply-demand balance, and (10) insufficient automation. These challenges contribute to long and variable remanufacturing process lead times. To tackle remanufacturing challenges, seven lean-based improvements with a major effect on improvements in lead time were suggested: standard operations, continuous flow, Kanban, teamwork, employee cross-training, layout for continuous flow, and supplier partnership. Providing that the suggested improvements are implemented, a possible lead time reduction of 83–99 per cent was projected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To fully contribute to sustainable development, circular economy has to devote more attention to social inclusion. This paper thoroughly analyzed the literature, answering the research question: how is circular economy embracing social inclusion? The research design applied quantitative and qualitative strategies. Bibliometric quantitative analysis with the aid of VosViewer, the RStudio software, and Bibliometrix Package were employed. An inductive content analysis was undertaken to analyze the themes of circular economy and social inclusion, applying NVivo software. The results brought out six clusters: (i) reverse logistics and recycling, (ii) circular economy and innovation, (iii) social innovation, (iv) sustainable supply chains, (v) bioeconomy, and (vi) closed-loop supply chain. Our findings showed that the circular strategies of reuse and reduce were the focus of the surveyed literature, while consumers and communities were the key stakeholders addressed. Recycling was directly linked to waste management and the inclusion of waste pickers in developing countries. As future research themes, it highlighted more theoretical and empirical research about community and consumer engagement in circular practices, besides the importance of entrepreneurship and social innovation to intensify circular practices embracing social inclusion. • The literature focused on reuse and reduce as circular strategies. • The key stakeholders addressed were consumers and communities. • Recycling was linked to waste management and the inclusion of waste pickers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy is billed as a solution to increase economic growth while reducing environmental impact. It is argued that retaining the value of products, components and materials by fostering the "inner loops", such as reuse, refurbishment and remanufacturing, increases the resource-efficiency. However, published environmental assessments estimating the actual impact of these so-called circular outcomes are inconclusive. This paper presents the results of a systematic literature review of previous environmental assessments on circular products and circular business models, focusing on the tighter technical loops including reuse, refurbishment, and remanufacturing. Mapping reveals factors that influence the environmental impact of circular products and other aspects that should be incorporated in environmental assessments. Even though 239 papers were identified that discuss the environmental impact of circular products and/or circular business models, the far majority only considers a traditional product in a traditional sales model that is remanufactured and compares the impacts of remanufacturing with manufacturing new products. While it is important to quantify the impacts of remanufacturing, it is remarkable that product design strategies for circular economy (e.g. design for remanufacturing, upgradability, modularity) and product-service systems or other types of circular business models are usually not considered in the LCA studies. A lack of studies of products with so-called circular designs that are utilized within circular business models is apparent. In addition, many assessments are static analyses and limited consideration is given to future increases in the share of renewable energy. One can thus question how well the available environmental assessments quantify actual circular products/offerings and the environmental performance gains they could provide in a circular economy. The results show that there is an urgent need for more LCAs done in a way that better captures the potential benefits and deficiencies of circular products. Only then will it be possible to make robust claims about the environmental sustainability of circular products and circular business models and finally circular economy in total. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to determine how process-level challenges can be solved in order improve scalability of fashion remanufacturing. In order to do so, and prescribe solutions, the paper first conducts a systematic literature review to reveal three categories of process-level challenges that are related to sourcing of input material, process throughput time, and skillset requirement. These categories further guided us in conducting case study with a Swedish charity-owned fashion remanufacturer for exploring how the challenges are addressed and solved in order to achieve process-level scalability. First, our study reveals a systematized approach to determine product-process categories defined by production volume and degree of remanufacturing. Second, by exploring the process-level challenges of six different remanufactured product groups in the case study organization we identify process-level requirements for scalability, and challenges when these are unmet. The findings show that in fashion remanufacturing (particularly disassembly and reassembly), low degree of coupling, high level of formalization of activities and low skill specificity can be ways to attain process-level scalability. Overall, this highlights the need to build lower interdependence between disassembly and reassembly during fashion remanufacturing. • Remanufacturing extends product use life in the fashion industry. • Process challenges hinder industrial scalability of fashion remanufacturing. • Lower process interdependence improves scale in fashion remanufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to low carbon energy and transport systems requires an unprecedented roll-out of new infrastructure technologies, containing significant quantities of critical raw materials. Many of these technologies are based on general purpose technologies, such as permanent magnets and electric motors, that are common across different infrastructure systems. Circular economy initiatives that aim to institute better resource management practices could exploit these technological commonalities through the reuse and remanufacturing of technology components across infrastructure systems. In this paper, we analyze the implementation of such processes in the transition to low carbon electricity generation and transport on the Isle of Wight, UK. We model two scenarios relying on different renewable energy technologies, with the reuse of Lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles for grid-attached storage. A whole-system analysis that considers both electricity and transport infrastructure demonstrates that the optimal choice of renewable technology can be dependent on opportunities for component reuse and material recycling between the different infrastructure systems. Hydrogen fuel cell based transport makes use of platinum from obsolete catalytic converters whereas lithium-ion batteries can be reused for grid-attached storage when they are no longer useful in vehicles. Trade-offs exist between the efficiency of technology reuse, which eliminates the need for new technologies for grid attached storage completely by 2033, and the higher flexibility afforded by recycling at the material level; reducing primary material demand for Lithium by 51% in 2033 compared to 30% achieved by battery reuse. This analysis demonstrates the value of a methodology that combines detailed representations of technologies and components with a systemic approach that includes multiple, interconnected infrastructure systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural resources are being depleted at an alarming rate, also resulting in increased emissions and pollution. The call for a circular economy and sustainable strategies is now louder than ever. Remanufacturing can alleviate our environmental impact while still providing opportunities for profitable business. However, there is a need for a framework detailing the necessary steps for a successful remanufacturing start-up. This paper aims to identify the essential and supportive factors an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) must consider when transitioning part of its business to remanufacturing. Such factors could aid both current actors in the industrial setting as well as make way for further investigations and more advanced frameworks from the scientific field. The task is carried out through a novel combination of prior research on production development and remanufacturing, with support from a case study performed at an electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) manufacturer. This paper concludes that the first essential factors to be addressed when switching orientation towards remanufacturing can be contained in four categories: core acquisition and reverse logistics, labor skill and availability, remanufacturing facilities, and remanufacturing process and technology. Secondary supporting factors include design for remanufacturing and information feedback, remanufacturing process improvements, remanufacturing market knowledge, and organization, planning and control. Image 1 • Literature study of remanufacturing prerequisites. • Case study of robotic lawn mower original equipment manufacturer. • Prerequisite factors when planning for remanufacturing. • Essential factors are fundamental requirements for successful remanufacturing. • Supporting factors enhance the successfulness of remanufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy is receiving increasing attention as having the potential to break with the current linear economy of unsustainable production and consumption. A circular economy promotes system innovations that aim to design out waste, increase resource-efficiency, and achieve a better balance between economy, environment and society. Ensuring a successful transition to a circular economy requires the ability to measure and report on progress. Currently, there are three levels of indicators for measuring circular economy: macro (global, national, regional, city), meso (industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks), and micro (single firm, product). A detailed understanding of how to measure and document progress towards a circular economy is lacking, especially on a micro level. This is a barrier for both producers who want to provide circular products and services, and for the consumers who want to know how to compare products. This paper helps to open the black box, not by developing a method for measurement, but by categorizing and assessing what is already being done. This paper reviews 30 indicators of a circular economy at the micro level, where the majority of indicators focused on recycling, end-of-life management or remanufacturing, while fewer indicators consider disassembly, lifetime extension, waste management, resource-efficiency or reuse, and the majority of the papers are published in the last few years. There is no commonly accepted way of measuring circular economy in general at the micro level, nor within the different circular economy principles of recycling, remanufacturing etc. As circular economy often is presented as a means to a sustainable development, the alignment between the three dimensions of sustainability and the reviewed indicators is analyzed, which showed that the majority of indicators focus on economic aspects, with environmental and especially social aspects included to a lesser extent. This biased approach to circular economy that favors economic aspects over environmental and social impacts can lead to sub-optimizations when companies apply circular economy and may lead to a narrower approach to sustainability than what has previously been the case. For future research it can be interesting to explore if the same bias exists on meso and macro level, but also to analyze how a more coherent approach can be standardized on micro level. • There is no common standard for how to measure micro level circularity. • 30 indicators for micro level CE are reviewed and analyzed. • The majority of micro level indicators focus on the outer circle of CE. • A limited number of indicators focus on the inner circles of CE. • Most indicators focus on economy with limited attention to environment and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of a system dynamics computer simulation model, this paper analyzes the systemic effects of combining multiple product design and business model strategies for slowing and closing resource loops in a circular economy. In the model, green (i.e., recycled) and brown (i.e., traditional linear) products, as well as products under a PSS model, flow in a closed-loop supply chain. The model structure covers issues related to product design, product use and replacement, second-hand use, product discard, and finally, collection and processing for product recycling. Results from this research provide insights into the relationship between design considerations at the beginning of a product's life and their implications for the product's take-back stage when a new manufacturing cycle begins. The main contributions of this paper are the considerations of time delays and reinforcing feedback loops in the design of an effective closed-loop supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the current state of design in the mechatronic industry. First, based on a literature overview, key circular product characteristics are identified, namely modularity and robustness. Then, a survey has been distributed to practicing mechatronic engineers. Based on the survey, it is found that mechatronic systems are currently designed for long-term circular strategies, while the end-of-life is rarely considered. Furthermore, it is found that one issue in designing mechatronic devices is that they are prone to electronics obsolescence, and that safety regulations may prevent to design for circularity. Moreover, it is reported that customers do not currently require circular aspects in the mechatronic products and thus there is no incentive to designs according to circular principles. Finally, the paper discusses on new research ways of improving the circularity aspect of mechatronic devices, such as by facilitating remanufacturing or by using distributed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE) is emerging in the construction industry because it attempts to substitute the linear economy model and promote sustainable development. While the CE principles have been applied at different scales, the construction industry's research efforts and practicalities remain limited and fragile. This study aimed at understanding the levels of circularity in the construction industry with a view to formulate viable recommendations required for achieving higher degrees of circularity. This aim is achieved by learning essential lessons from the manufacturing sector, which is considered one of CE's pioneering industries. In this paper, a scientometric review of CE research within the construction and manufacturing sectors was performed. The science mapping method was applied to quantitatively analyse relevant publications retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science databases. The results suggested that the construction industry centres on recycling and reuse as the main "R" strategies, while the manufacturing industry tends to achieve higher levels of circularity due to broader implementation of remanufacturing and industrial symbiosis (IS). The content analysis of some mainstream articles further identified the potential of adopting remanufacturing and IS in the construction sector. The findings suggested that higher levels of circularity in construction could be attained through the use of remanufactured components and recycled non-construction & demolition waste (CDW). An action plan comprising regulatory pull/push, business-driven, and technological push measures was formulated to guide researchers and practitioners to pursue looking-forward CE strategies. This review draws useful lessons from other sectors and offers fresh insight into ways of actualising circular construction. The findings of this study could serve as valuable references for improving the knowledge of policymakers and practitioners for promoting circular construction. [Display omitted] • The construction industry centres on recycling and reuse as the main "R" strategies. • The manufacturing industry achieves higher levels of circularity by implementing remanufacturing and industrial symbiosis. • The construction sector achieves higher circularity through regulatory pull/push, business-driven, and technological push. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the transition towards a circular economy, refurbishment can be applied to regain value from used products, and to reduce waste. Refurbishment is a process in which a professional company collects and restores used products in order to resell these products to new consumers. Building on insights from the remanufacturing literature, this research is the first to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence consumer acceptance of refurbished products, and in specific refurbished mobile phones. We adopted a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with consumers (n = 20) of new and refurbished phones to gain rich insights into consumers' considerations that play a role in the choice of a refurbished product over a new product. This paper maps out the main factors that influence consumer acceptance of refurbished mobile phones. Our findings uncover that the majority of consumers do not take a refurbished product into consideration as a consequence of a lack of awareness and a misunderstanding of what refurbishment actually entails. In addition, refurbished products are often rejected as a consequence of a negative trade-off between perceived risks and benefits. Personal, contextual and product-related factors have been identified that influence consumers' assessment of a refurbished product's risks and benefits. Finally, the findings have been translated into practical guidelines for designers and marketers to positively steer consumer perception of refurbished products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE) is increasingly recognized as an issue of critical importance for companies, academics, practitioners, policymakers, and society as a whole. A successful transition from the current, linear economic model towards a resource-efficient circular economy model requires a shared understanding of the interplay among the building blocks of circular economy and the interaction among various decision factors. This research aims to explore these dynamics using environmental, societal, and economic aspects from a reverse supply chain perspective. This paper presents a model to represent the complex system of reverse logistics to recover post-used products at their end-of-life (EoL) stage. A system dynamics (SD) approach is used to model the dynamics of cost, revenue, and strategic and regulatory decisions. In addition, the interplay among the main pillars of circular economy research is explored through a case study of electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). Moreover, the main enablers and challenges for recovery of end-of-life batteries are presented. The findings show the importance of a shared understanding to achieve a successful transition towards a resource-efficient and circular economy model. Furthermore, reuse strategies such as remanufacturing and repurposing present a huge market potential for the recovery of electric vehicle batteries in the near future. • There is a growing interest to study the role of reverse logistics in the circular economy. • The complex system of reverse logistics is modelled through system dynamics. • The main enablers and challenges for circularity of electric vehicle batteries are identified. • The interplay among the building blocks of circular economy research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy (CE) and the marketing activities are the key subjects to attract the market share in today's complex supply chain. Here, dual selling channels, the online delivery time, and the distributor sales effort are considered as marketing activities to attract the customers. Moreover, in order to meets the economic and environmental principles of the CE, three responsibilities to ease the carbon emission, as approaches for the return on investment, are devised, including investment in the green production, the cap and trade regulation, and the hybrid remanufacturing via both the manufacturer and the distributor under the technology license. This such complex supply chain needs to determine the equilibrium amounts of the distinguishing elements, including the pricing strategy, remanufacturing approaches, delivery time, and sales effort to abate the conflicts between the members, and consequently, to enhance the economic and CE objectives of the supply chain (SC). In order to obtain the equilibrium decision makings, three game theoretical approaches, including the manufacturer-Stackelberg game (SM), the distributor-Stackelberg game (SR) and the Nash game (N) are employed. The interaction between the game sequences and the remanufacturing process is the key purpose of this paper to not only maximize the profit of SC but also to enrich the CE and marketing goals of this research. The outcomes presented that the SM game, where the manufacturer remanufactures most of the defected products which are collected via the distributor, is the best game strategy to improve the profits of both the distributor and the manufacturer, and also to enhance the other distinguishing elements. In addition, in the SR game, when most of the returns remanufacture via the distributor under the manufacturer license, it not only maximizes the profits of members but also lead to the improvement of the distinguishing elements. In the Nash game, however, there is a conflict between the members about the remanufacturing process, which reduces the SC profit in this game as compared to other ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]