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The circular economy provides a potential solution to the take–make–dispose model of resource use that currently characterizes the economy. Guidelines for the circular economy often consist of prioritized lists of measures to achieve resource efficiency. However, for the purpose of designing products, such general prioritizations of measures are less useful. Instead, the tool developed in this study is based on learnings from numerous life cycle assessments and provides design recommendations for the improved resource efficiency of products based on product characteristics. The tool includes measures over the whole lifecycle of different products that lead to improved resource efficiency. The tool also demonstrates how different product types, such as different varieties of durable and consumable products, can become more resource-efficient and when trade-offs occur over the lifecycle of a product. The tool was tested in a design case where its usefulness and usability were evaluated using a comparative life cycle assessment and a questionnaire. The evaluation shows the tool is informative and provides design suggestions that lead to improved resource efficiency. The tool is considered usable and could be implemented in design practice.
Siri Willskytt; Sergio A. Brambila-Macias. Design Guidelines Developed from Environmental Assessments: A Design Tool for Resource-Efficient Products. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4953 .
AMA StyleSiri Willskytt, Sergio A. Brambila-Macias. Design Guidelines Developed from Environmental Assessments: A Design Tool for Resource-Efficient Products. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):4953.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSiri Willskytt; Sergio A. Brambila-Macias. 2020. "Design Guidelines Developed from Environmental Assessments: A Design Tool for Resource-Efficient Products." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 4953.
A circular economy aims at decoupling value creation from resource throughput. For circular economy to contribute to environmental and resource improvements, there is need for critical assessments regarding in what general situations, beyond individual cases, solutions may lead to improvements. On the product-level, there is need for synthesized knowledge accounting for a wide range of contexts and environmental impacts. We investigate what resource efficiency (RE) measures result in reduced physical flows and environmental impacts, depending on the characteristics of products and their life cycles. The study is limited to physical measures on a product system level, irrespective of manner of implementation. A library of comparative assessments (primarily life cycle assessments and material flow analyses) was built, covering a wide range of products and RE measures. A framework was formulated for analysing for which product characteristics a measure tends to improve RE, and under which contexts there are trade-offs to take into account. For example, sharing of products is best suited for durable and infrequently used products that tend not to reach their full technical lifetime. A trade-off is that sharing can increase transportation for accessing shared stock. The identified key product characteristics were: whether products are consumable or durable, active or passive, typically used for their full technical lifetimes or discarded before being worn out, the product’s frequency of use and whether function remains at a product’s end of use. Pace of development matters for suitability of measures for active, durable products, while complexity is relevant for restorative measures and recycling.
Daniel Böckin; Siri Willskytt; Hampus André; Anne-Marie Tillman; Maria Ljunggren Söderman. How product characteristics can guide measures for resource efficiency — A synthesis of assessment studies. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2019, 154, 104582 .
AMA StyleDaniel Böckin, Siri Willskytt, Hampus André, Anne-Marie Tillman, Maria Ljunggren Söderman. How product characteristics can guide measures for resource efficiency — A synthesis of assessment studies. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2019; 154 ():104582.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniel Böckin; Siri Willskytt; Hampus André; Anne-Marie Tillman; Maria Ljunggren Söderman. 2019. "How product characteristics can guide measures for resource efficiency — A synthesis of assessment studies." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 154, no. : 104582.
Circular economy is presented as a sustainable alternative to the take-make-waste society. The discourse on circular economy emphasizes the role of durable products, while consumable products are less in focus, although resources efficiency is needed for all types of products. This paper aims to contribute knowledge on resource efficient measures that are possible to implement for consumables and to evaluate their resource efficiency potential by means of a case study on incontinence products using life cycle assessment. Four possible measures were identified that can be implemented at different stages of the value-chain, to increase their resource efficiency. The study was delimited to measures possible to implement using current technology. The measures were: recycling of waste generated in production, increasing the share of bio-based material in the product, shifting to a partly reusable product system and more effective use of products through customization to user’s needs. Effective use of products through customization led to at least 20% decrease in environmental impact with no trade-offs between studied impact categories. However, when looking at global warming potential only, the partly reusable product system was found to decrease environmental impact with more than 50% compared to a corresponding disposable product. Moreover, many resource efficient measures were identified as being possible to implement for consumables, and in the case of incontinence products a combination of measures was possible.
Siri Willskytt; Anne-Marie Tillman. Resource efficiency of consumables – Life cycle assessment of incontinence products. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2019, 144, 13 -23.
AMA StyleSiri Willskytt, Anne-Marie Tillman. Resource efficiency of consumables – Life cycle assessment of incontinence products. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2019; 144 ():13-23.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSiri Willskytt; Anne-Marie Tillman. 2019. "Resource efficiency of consumables – Life cycle assessment of incontinence products." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 144, no. : 13-23.