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Ruud Balkenende
Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628CE Delft, The Netherlands

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Journal article
Published: 28 June 2021 in Sustainability
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Composite materials are an attractive material choice as they enable lightweight, low-maintenance products with a long lifespan. Recycling these materials, however, remains a challenge. Homogeneous material composition and the use of thermoset matrices complicate reprocessing, and result in low-grade recyclate. This means that closing the loop for these materials in a circular economy remains challenging, especially for glass fibre-reinforced thermoset composites. For a circular economy, products need to be designed to preserve product functionality, material properties, and economic value for as long as possible. However, recovery strategies, design aspects and their interconnectedness are currently largely unexplored for products containing fibre-reinforced polymers. The aim of this study was to identify circular strategies and determine design aspects for products containing composites. To achieve this, we conducted a systematic literature review and consulted experts. The circular strategies are largely similar to generic circular economy strategies as far as product integrity is concerned. However, on a material level, we identified additional approaches, the most notable of which is structural reuse, which preserves the material quality and thereby value. The design aspects were clustered and positioned along the product design process to support implementation. Finally, the strategies and design aspects we identified were brought together in a framework to support product design and design research for products containing composite materials in the context of a circular economy.

ACS Style

Jelle Joustra; Bas Flipsen; Ruud Balkenende. Circular Design of Composite Products: A Framework Based on Insights from Literature and Industry. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7223 .

AMA Style

Jelle Joustra, Bas Flipsen, Ruud Balkenende. Circular Design of Composite Products: A Framework Based on Insights from Literature and Industry. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (13):7223.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jelle Joustra; Bas Flipsen; Ruud Balkenende. 2021. "Circular Design of Composite Products: A Framework Based on Insights from Literature and Industry." Sustainability 13, no. 13: 7223.

Journal article
Published: 11 June 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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In this paper, we provide an overview of how Safe-by-Design is conceived and applied in practice in a large number of engineering disciplines. We discuss the differences, commonalities, and possibilities for mutual learning found in those practices and identify several ways of putting those disciplinary outlooks in perspective. The considered engineering disciplines in the order of historically grown technologies are construction engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, urban engineering, software engineering, bio-engineering, nano-engineering, and finally cyber space engineering. Each discipline is briefly introduced, the technology at issue is described, the relevant or dominant hazards are examined, the social challenge(s) are observed, and the relevant developments in the field are described. Within each discipline the risk management strategies, the design principles promoting safety or safety awareness, and associated methods or tools are discussed. Possible dilemmas that the designers in the discipline face are highlighted. Each discipline is concluded by discussing the opportunities and bottlenecks in addressing safety. Commonalities and differences between the engineering disciplines are investigated, specifically on the design strategies for which empirical data have been collected. We argue that Safe-by-Design is best considered as a specific elaboration of Responsible Research and Innovation, with an explicit focus on safety in relation to other important values in engineering such as well-being, sustainability, equity, and affordability. Safe-by-Design provides for an intellectual venue where social science and the humanities (SSH) collaborate on technological developments and innovation by helping to proactively incorporate safety considerations into engineering practices, while navigating between the extremes of technological optimism and disproportionate precaution. As such, Safe-by-Design is also a practical tool for policymakers and risk assessors that helps shape governance arrangements for accommodating and incentivizing safety, while fully acknowledging uncertainty.

ACS Style

Pieter van Gelder; Pim Klaassen; Behnam Taebi; Bart Walhout; Ruud van Ommen; Ibo van de Poel; Zoe Robaey; Lotte Asveld; Ruud Balkenende; Frank Hollmann; Erik van Kampen; Nima Khakzad; Robbert Krebbers; Jos de Lange; Wolter Pieters; Karel Terwel; Eelco Visser; Tiny van der Werff; Dick Jung. Safe-by-Design in Engineering: An Overview and Comparative Analysis of Engineering Disciplines. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 6329 .

AMA Style

Pieter van Gelder, Pim Klaassen, Behnam Taebi, Bart Walhout, Ruud van Ommen, Ibo van de Poel, Zoe Robaey, Lotte Asveld, Ruud Balkenende, Frank Hollmann, Erik van Kampen, Nima Khakzad, Robbert Krebbers, Jos de Lange, Wolter Pieters, Karel Terwel, Eelco Visser, Tiny van der Werff, Dick Jung. Safe-by-Design in Engineering: An Overview and Comparative Analysis of Engineering Disciplines. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (12):6329.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pieter van Gelder; Pim Klaassen; Behnam Taebi; Bart Walhout; Ruud van Ommen; Ibo van de Poel; Zoe Robaey; Lotte Asveld; Ruud Balkenende; Frank Hollmann; Erik van Kampen; Nima Khakzad; Robbert Krebbers; Jos de Lange; Wolter Pieters; Karel Terwel; Eelco Visser; Tiny van der Werff; Dick Jung. 2021. "Safe-by-Design in Engineering: An Overview and Comparative Analysis of Engineering Disciplines." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 12: 6329.

Journal article
Published: 21 February 2021 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Circular oriented innovation aims to address sustainability problems such as resource scarcity, pollution and climate change by (re)designing industrial products, processes, business models, and value network configurations. Although the literature identifies collaboration as crucial for circular oriented innovation—due to the complexity, risk and uncertainties involved—few tools have been developed to support it. To address this gap, we develop and test a tool that helps companies ideate to identify partners and value within circular oriented innovation. The tool integrates decision-making principles from the entrepreneurship theory of effectuation within a design thinking approach to stimulate collaborative ideation of circular propositions. We demonstrate and test the tool through six workshops, and collect data via observations, field-notes, assessment forms and user discussions. Our results show that: 1) users are receptive to visualisation and effectuation-based questions to collaboratively ideate circular propositions; 2) expert facilitation helps to maintain a circularity focus to avoid ‘business-as-usual’ ideas; and 3) differences in the maturity and scope of projects may influence the usefulness of the tool. We contribute to theory by demonstrating the integration of effectuation, design thinking, and lean experimentation approaches into a tool to advance circular oriented innovation. We contribute to practice with the tool itself that supports early and quick ideation to identify partners and perceived value. This supports companies to collaborate and advance the design of circular propositions that bring circular business model ideas closer to implementation.

ACS Style

Phil Brown; Brian Baldassarre; Jan Konietzko; Nancy Bocken; Ruud Balkenende. A tool for collaborative circular proposition design. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 297, 126354 .

AMA Style

Phil Brown, Brian Baldassarre, Jan Konietzko, Nancy Bocken, Ruud Balkenende. A tool for collaborative circular proposition design. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021; 297 ():126354.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Phil Brown; Brian Baldassarre; Jan Konietzko; Nancy Bocken; Ruud Balkenende. 2021. "A tool for collaborative circular proposition design." Journal of Cleaner Production 297, no. : 126354.

Journal article
Published: 19 January 2021 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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Composite materials, in particular fibre reinforced polymers, present a challenge when reaching their end of life. Current recycling processes are unable to capture the high-end material quality, thus challenging (re)use of composite materials in a Circular Economy. Structurally reusing segmented parts of end-of-life products as construction elements has been demonstrated to provide a promising alternative. However, reflection on the consequences for the initial design of composite products is still missing. This study investigates the effect of the original product design on the recovery and reuse of composite products, taking wind turbine blades as case material. Construction elements were cut from a decommissioned blade and reused in a design study. Observations from the recovery and design process were connected to decisions made in the original product design. The insights were discussed with experts from the field of blade design. This resulted in identification of design aspects that enable multiple lifecycles of the composite material as construction panels, if considered during initial product design.

ACS Style

Jelle Joustra; Bas Flipsen; Ruud Balkenende. Structural reuse of high end composite products: A design case study on wind turbine blades. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2021, 167, 105393 .

AMA Style

Jelle Joustra, Bas Flipsen, Ruud Balkenende. Structural reuse of high end composite products: A design case study on wind turbine blades. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2021; 167 ():105393.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jelle Joustra; Bas Flipsen; Ruud Balkenende. 2021. "Structural reuse of high end composite products: A design case study on wind turbine blades." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 167, no. : 105393.

Journal article
Published: 14 January 2021 in Sustainability
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In a recent study, we identified seven key circular competencies for design: (1) Design for Multiple Use Cycles, (2) Design for Recovery, (3) Circular Impact Assessment, (4) Circular Business Models, (5) Circular User Engagement, (6) Circular Economy Collaboration, and (7) Circular Economy Communication. These were derived from small-scale studies with designers working in the Netherlands. We set out to assess to what extent this set of seven competencies is recognized by an international group of designers and to evaluate whether any competencies are missing. We used an online survey to collect data from 128 respondents from 25 countries working on circular economy projects. The survey results showed that respondents use and have expertise in all seven competencies and they stressed the practical importance of two new competencies: Circular Systems Thinking and Circular Materials and Manufacturing. The resulting set of nine key competencies is the first internationally verified, coherent set of key circular economy competencies for design. This set will strengthen the pedagogical base of design for a circular economy and will guide the development of circular design methodology.

ACS Style

Deborah Sumter; Jotte Koning; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. Key Competencies for Design in a Circular Economy: Exploring Gaps in Design Knowledge and Skills for a Circular Economy. Sustainability 2021, 13, 776 .

AMA Style

Deborah Sumter, Jotte Koning, Conny Bakker, Ruud Balkenende. Key Competencies for Design in a Circular Economy: Exploring Gaps in Design Knowledge and Skills for a Circular Economy. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (2):776.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Deborah Sumter; Jotte Koning; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. 2021. "Key Competencies for Design in a Circular Economy: Exploring Gaps in Design Knowledge and Skills for a Circular Economy." Sustainability 13, no. 2: 776.

Journal article
Published: 29 September 2020 in Sustainability
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The circular economy requires high-value material recovery to enable multiple product lifecycles. This implies the need for additive manufacturing to focus on the development and use of low-impact materials that, after product use, can be reconstituted to their original properties in terms of printability and functionality. We therefore investigated reprintable materials, made from bio-based resources. In order to equally consider material properties and recovery during development, we took a design approach to material development. In this way, the full material and product life cycle was studied, including multiple recovery steps. We applied this method to the development of a reprintable bio-based composite material for extrusion paste printing. This material is derived from natural and abundant resources, i.e., ground mussel shells and alginate. The alginate in the printing paste is ionically cross-linked after printing to create a water-resistant material. This reaction can be reversed to retain a printable paste. We studied paste composition, printability and material properties and 3D printed a design prototype. Alginate as a binder shows good printing and reprinting behaviour, as well as promising material properties. It thus demonstrates the concept of reprintable materials.

ACS Style

Marita Sauerwein; Jure Zlopasa; Zjenja Doubrovski; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. Reprintable Paste-Based Materials for Additive Manufacturing in a Circular Economy. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8032 .

AMA Style

Marita Sauerwein, Jure Zlopasa, Zjenja Doubrovski, Conny Bakker, Ruud Balkenende. Reprintable Paste-Based Materials for Additive Manufacturing in a Circular Economy. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (19):8032.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marita Sauerwein; Jure Zlopasa; Zjenja Doubrovski; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. 2020. "Reprintable Paste-Based Materials for Additive Manufacturing in a Circular Economy." Sustainability 12, no. 19: 8032.

Research
Published: 11 August 2020 in Journal of Remanufacturing
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Adopting design approaches that allow products to last multiple use-cycles supports European Commission objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce primary material impacts. Remanufacturing is an example of an appropriate circular strategy and it can be applied in a variety of industries that are intensive materials users. However, most companies have not yet adopted design strategies facilitating remanufacturing at scale. In this paper, we explored how design management can facilitate the implementation of Design for Remanufacturing, based on a literature review and in-depth interviews. Seven companies active in business-to-business markets were interviewed about the design-related opportunities and barriers they see for remanufacturing. We found that access to technical knowledge is not a barrier, whereas integrating this knowledge into the existing design process is. We conclude that design management can contribute to the uptake of Design for Remanufacturing for the following reasons: by making the value of Design for Remanufacturing to the company at large explicit, by building bridges between internal and external stakeholders, and by embedding Design for Remanufacturing into existing processes by means of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and roadmaps.

ACS Style

Nina Boorsma; Ruud Balkenende; Conny Bakker; Tanya Tsui; David Peck. Incorporating design for remanufacturing in the early design stage: a design management perspective. Journal of Remanufacturing 2020, 11, 25 -48.

AMA Style

Nina Boorsma, Ruud Balkenende, Conny Bakker, Tanya Tsui, David Peck. Incorporating design for remanufacturing in the early design stage: a design management perspective. Journal of Remanufacturing. 2020; 11 (1):25-48.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nina Boorsma; Ruud Balkenende; Conny Bakker; Tanya Tsui; David Peck. 2020. "Incorporating design for remanufacturing in the early design stage: a design management perspective." Journal of Remanufacturing 11, no. 1: 25-48.

Journal article
Published: 15 July 2020 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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While the enabling capabilities of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the Circular Economy (CE) have been highlighted in a number of publications, knowledge about how to leverage IoT in actual implementation of circular strategies is still lacking. This paper aims to elucidate reasons for the apparent mismatch between the ‘theoretical opportunities’ of IoT for CE as described in literature, and current implementation in practice. To this end, we present a case study in the field of LED lighting, within a company with previous experience and knowledge in both IoT and CE. The primary data source is twelve semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from the company. We identify opportunities for using IoT to support circular strategies in this specific case: IoT can support servitized business models; improve tracking and record keeping of in-use and post-use products; enable conditions monitoring and predictive maintenance; improve estimations of remaining lifetime of used products; and inform design decisions to improve durability of products. Related to these opportunities, we identify implementation challenges faced by the company. The main IoT-specific implementation challenges in the case are (1) a lack of structured data management processes to ensure high quality data collection and analysis, and (2) the difficulty of designing IoT-enabled products for interoperability, adaptability, and upgradability, especially considering that IoT technologies develop at a high pace. By elucidating these challenges, this paper contributes with IoT-specific insights to the available literature about challenges in circular business model implementation. Moreover, this paper adds an important emphasis on real-world implementation challenges to the literature about digitally-enabled circular strategies.

ACS Style

Emilia Ingemarsdotter; Ella Jamsin; Ruud Balkenende. Opportunities and challenges in IoT-enabled circular business model implementation – A case study. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 162, 105047 .

AMA Style

Emilia Ingemarsdotter, Ella Jamsin, Ruud Balkenende. Opportunities and challenges in IoT-enabled circular business model implementation – A case study. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 162 ():105047.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Emilia Ingemarsdotter; Ella Jamsin; Ruud Balkenende. 2020. "Opportunities and challenges in IoT-enabled circular business model implementation – A case study." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 162, no. : 105047.

Journal article
Published: 23 April 2020 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Fault diagnosis is the process of identifying and characterising a fault when a failure occurs. It is, therefore, an essential step to take before product-repair. In this study, we ask how conventional users diagnose faults in household appliances and how the design of these appliances facilitates or hampers the process of fault diagnosis.To investigate this we qualitatively analyse the content of iFixit’s online repair forum for three products: kitchen blenders, vacuum cleaners, and refrigerators. First, we develop a conceptual analysis framework based on the literature. Second, using conventional content analysis, we correlate facilitating and hampering features with the appliances’ design. The process of fault diagnosis can be described by the subsequent actions of fault detection, fault location and fault isolation. Our results show that consumers detect faults by noticing five types of symptoms. Subsequently, two distinct diagnosis approaches can be distinguished. One follows a trial and error approach where the user performs diagnosis actions which usually result in replacing a potentially defective component until the symptoms disappear. The other occurs when the symptoms are error codes; the defective part can be more accurately identified, and the diagnosis is straightforward. The results also show that appliances are not designed to make fault diagnosis easy. Access to and visibility of components are often blocked, making fault isolation challenging. User manuals commonly lack relevant explanations, for instance when symptoms are different from error codes. Based on these findings, we propose a number of design recommendations to facilitate fault diagnosis for household appliance users.

ACS Style

Beatriz Pozo Arcos; Conny Bakker; Sebastiaan Flipsen; Ruud Balkenende. Practices of fault diagnosis in household appliances: Insights for design. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 265, 121812 .

AMA Style

Beatriz Pozo Arcos, Conny Bakker, Sebastiaan Flipsen, Ruud Balkenende. Practices of fault diagnosis in household appliances: Insights for design. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 265 ():121812.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Beatriz Pozo Arcos; Conny Bakker; Sebastiaan Flipsen; Ruud Balkenende. 2020. "Practices of fault diagnosis in household appliances: Insights for design." Journal of Cleaner Production 265, no. : 121812.

Journal article
Published: 22 February 2020 in Sustainability
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Collaborative innovation is necessary to explore and implement circular economy strategies. Yet, empirical investigations into such collaborations are scarce. It is unclear whether the circular context creates differences or represents adaptions within how collaborative innovation is conducted. We draw upon strategic management and open innovation literature to highlight what is known about collaborative innovation and the types of innovation conducted. We use these insights to investigate explorative qualitative case research into how practitioners in the Netherlands have conducted collaborative circular oriented innovation. Our findings show that open innovation criteria can aid our understanding and analysis. Key managerial considerations relate to the incremental or systemic nature of the innovation pursued, which induce different collaborative projects and knowledge management structures. For incremental innovation, we observe phases of collaboration, whereas for more systemic innovation, we observe a more collaborative portfolio and layered approach. Furthermore, the more radical innovation pursuits that explore slowing or recovery strategies, especially beyond business-to-business arrangements, challenge companies. A crucial challenge remains related to how to develop and assess collaborative and system-oriented business models in the transition towards a circular economy. Finally, future research is needed to assess whether the current modes of collaborative innovation are sufficient to deliver a circular economy transition.

ACS Style

Phil Brown; Nancy Bocken; Ruud Balkenende. How Do Companies Collaborate for Circular Oriented Innovation? Sustainability 2020, 12, 1648 .

AMA Style

Phil Brown, Nancy Bocken, Ruud Balkenende. How Do Companies Collaborate for Circular Oriented Innovation? Sustainability. 2020; 12 (4):1648.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Phil Brown; Nancy Bocken; Ruud Balkenende. 2020. "How Do Companies Collaborate for Circular Oriented Innovation?" Sustainability 12, no. 4: 1648.

Journal article
Published: 19 February 2020 in Sustainability
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This study addresses what competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) designers need in order to successfully design products and services for a circular economy. Existing literature, though sparse, has identified a number of circular economy competencies for design. Yet, a coherent overview is lacking. To complement the competencies found in the literature with insights from practice, we conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with design professionals. Our study identifies seven circular economy competencies for design: (1) Circular Impact Assessment, (2) Design for Recovery, (3) Design for Multiple Use Cycles, (4) Circular Business Models, (5) Circular User Engagement, (6) Circular Economy Collaboration, and (7) Circular Economy Communication. We used a general sustainability competencies framework to categorize our findings. Interestingly, we did not find evidence of the Systems Thinking competency in practice, although in the literature it is mentioned as a relevant competency for design for a circular economy. In addition, we found that methods and tools are still largely lacking or in a premature stage of development. We conclude that design for a circular economy can be seen as an upcoming, independent field within the sustainability domain, and that requires a specific set of competencies, methods, and tools. Our overview of circular economy competencies for design can guide the development of relevant methods and tools, circular economy-based design curricula, and training programs in the future.

ACS Style

Deborah Sumter; Jotte De Koning; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. Circular Economy Competencies for Design. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1561 .

AMA Style

Deborah Sumter, Jotte De Koning, Conny Bakker, Ruud Balkenende. Circular Economy Competencies for Design. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (4):1561.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Deborah Sumter; Jotte De Koning; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. 2020. "Circular Economy Competencies for Design." Sustainability 12, no. 4: 1561.

Journal article
Published: 08 November 2019 in Sustainability
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An innovative route for plastics recycling is proposed, based on a combination of a logarithmic sorting process and colour plus high-resolution near-infrared (NIR) sensors. Although counterintuitive, it is shown that such a technology could sort clean flakes from rigid packaging waste into a very large number of different plastic grades with modest sorter capacity, provided that the chosen sensor is able to differentiate correctly between any two grades of plastics in the waste. Tests with high-resolution NIR on single pixels of transparent flakes from different types and brands of packaging show that this is indeed the case for a selection of 20 different packaging items bought from shops. Moreover, the results seem to indicate, in line with previous research, that high-resolution NIR data can be linked to important physical plastic properties like the melt flow viscosity and tensile strength. The attraction of deep sorting of waste plastics with relatively cheap sensors and modest sorter capacity is that the present industrial practice of tuning plastic grades to specific applications could coexist with commercial high-grade recycling at high levels of circularity and low carbon footprint. Therefore, advanced recycling technology is likely to be a societal alternative to phasing out plastics for rigid applications.

ACS Style

Yuri Van Engelshoven; Pingping Wen; Maarten Bakker; Ruud Balkenende; Peter Rem. An Innovative Route to Circular Rigid Plastics. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6284 .

AMA Style

Yuri Van Engelshoven, Pingping Wen, Maarten Bakker, Ruud Balkenende, Peter Rem. An Innovative Route to Circular Rigid Plastics. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (22):6284.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yuri Van Engelshoven; Pingping Wen; Maarten Bakker; Ruud Balkenende; Peter Rem. 2019. "An Innovative Route to Circular Rigid Plastics." Sustainability 11, no. 22: 6284.

Journal article
Published: 15 October 2019 in Sustainability
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This paper focuses on how the Internet of Things (IoT) could contribute to the transition to a circular economy (CE), through supporting circular business model and design strategies. While literature has highlighted the opportunities for IoT to support circular strategies in business, little has been published about actual implementations in practice. The aim of this study was therefore to understand how companies to date have implemented IoT for circular strategies, and how these implementations compare to the range of opportunities described in literature. To that end, a two-step approach was followed. Firstly, building on academic literature, a framework was developed which categorizes different IoT-enabled circular strategies. The framework recognizes tracking, monitoring, control, optimization, and design evolution as IoT capabilities. Efficiency in use, increased utilization, and product lifetime extension are distinguished as circular in-use strategies, while reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling are distinguished as circular looping strategies. The framework complements previously published work, as it adds additional detail to the categorization, and allows for easy mapping of diverse cases. Secondly, 40 cases from practice were analyzed and mapped to the framework. This way, practice-based insights were derived about the current distribution of IoT-enabled circular strategies implemented in practice. The results show that current implementation of IoT-enabled circular strategies mainly supports two strategies in the use phase: efficiency in use and product lifetime extension. Only a small number of the reviewed cases display IoT-enabled looping (reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling). Similarly, few cases describe ‘design evolution’ for CE, i.e., the feedback of data from products in use to support circular design. Based on these results, this study identifies the need for future research to further investigate why IoT-enabled looping strategies and design evolution for circular strategies have not been implemented to scale.

ACS Style

Emilia Ingemarsdotter; Ella Jamsin; Gerd Kortuem; Ruud Balkenende. Circular Strategies Enabled by the Internet of Things—A Framework and Analysis of Current Practice. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5689 .

AMA Style

Emilia Ingemarsdotter, Ella Jamsin, Gerd Kortuem, Ruud Balkenende. Circular Strategies Enabled by the Internet of Things—A Framework and Analysis of Current Practice. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (20):5689.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Emilia Ingemarsdotter; Ella Jamsin; Gerd Kortuem; Ruud Balkenende. 2019. "Circular Strategies Enabled by the Internet of Things—A Framework and Analysis of Current Practice." Sustainability 11, no. 20: 5689.

Journal article
Published: 12 April 2019 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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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.

ACS Style

Marita Sauerwein; Eugeni Doubrovski; Ruud Balkenende; Conny Bakker. Exploring the potential of additive manufacturing for product design in a circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 226, 1138 -1149.

AMA Style

Marita Sauerwein, Eugeni Doubrovski, Ruud Balkenende, Conny Bakker. Exploring the potential of additive manufacturing for product design in a circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 226 ():1138-1149.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marita Sauerwein; Eugeni Doubrovski; Ruud Balkenende; Conny Bakker. 2019. "Exploring the potential of additive manufacturing for product design in a circular economy." Journal of Cleaner Production 226, no. : 1138-1149.

Journal article
Published: 25 January 2019 in Sustainability
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We investigate why companies collaborate within the circular oriented innovation process. The purpose is to understand what motives trigger collaborative circular oriented innovation, as well as conditions, drivers and barriers. First, we define circular oriented innovation building on sustainable oriented innovation literature. Subsequently, we investigate 11 leading circular economy companies operating within the Netherlands, who developed collaborative circular oriented innovation activities. ‘Hard’ and ‘soft’ dimensions for innovation are identified and applied to delineate the drivers and barriers for collaborative circular oriented innovation. Our findings indicate that collaborations are conducted by entrepreneurially-minded actors through sharing a vision, enthusiasm, and crucially, a credible proposition for a circular economy. Furthermore, collaboration is sought early, to co-develop the problem and solution space and integrate disparate knowledge from across the value network, to mitigate increased complexity. Motives to collaborate vary between personal and organisational, and intrinsic and extrinsic levels. Collaborations start based on a relational basis between ‘CE front-runners’ to advance knowledge through experimentation. ‘Soft’ challenges to advance collaborations towards the competitive remain around culture, and the mindset to share rewards and risks. Without suitable solutions to these challenges, collaborative circular oriented innovation could remain underdeveloped within the transition towards the systemic level.

ACS Style

Phil Brown; Nancy Bocken; Ruud Balkenende. Why Do Companies Pursue Collaborative Circular Oriented Innovation? Sustainability 2019, 11, 635 .

AMA Style

Phil Brown, Nancy Bocken, Ruud Balkenende. Why Do Companies Pursue Collaborative Circular Oriented Innovation? Sustainability. 2019; 11 (3):635.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Phil Brown; Nancy Bocken; Ruud Balkenende. 2019. "Why Do Companies Pursue Collaborative Circular Oriented Innovation?" Sustainability 11, no. 3: 635.

Journal article
Published: 11 July 2018 in Sustainability
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In the transition to a circular economy companies are exploring new business models, implying a shift from selling products to offering products in circular business models, such as leasing. Product design is thought to play a crucial role in enabling this. Having a robust overview of relevant design roles and competencies is of foundational importance for the development of circular design tools and methods, and for the development of circular economy-based design curricula in higher education. However, how the role of design and the competencies required by designers need to change has hardly been investigated. Building on insights from literature regarding competencies of designers required to consider sustainability, sustainable design, and circular design, we developed a framework in which these competencies are related to the functional, coordinating, and strategic roles that have been recognized within the literature for designers. To complement the results from the literature with insights from practice, a single longitudinal in-depth case study was carried out describing a lease and refurbishment pilot conducted by a Dutch design-driven manufacturer of baby strollers. This case study allowed verification of the literature regarding the functional and coordinating roles of the designer. In addition, we were able to fill the gap observed in the literature regarding the strategic role product designers can assume when designing offers for circular business models. The competencies that we found are (1) the ability to concurrently develop the circular business model and the product’s design and (2) the ability to anticipate how the circular offering will evolve over multiple lifecycles. These findings have been used to expand the framework.

ACS Style

Deborah Sumter; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. The Role of Product Design in Creating Circular Business Models: A Case Study on the Lease and Refurbishment of Baby Strollers. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2415 .

AMA Style

Deborah Sumter, Conny Bakker, Ruud Balkenende. The Role of Product Design in Creating Circular Business Models: A Case Study on the Lease and Refurbishment of Baby Strollers. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (7):2415.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Deborah Sumter; Conny Bakker; Ruud Balkenende. 2018. "The Role of Product Design in Creating Circular Business Models: A Case Study on the Lease and Refurbishment of Baby Strollers." Sustainability 10, no. 7: 2415.