Factsheet: Circular Product Design

Product development is at a turning point. For decades, it was sufficient to consider individual aspects of sustainability. Today, we need to look at the big picture: how value creation systems and material flows work. Circular design is therefore becoming the focus of modern product development.

Around 80 per cent of environmental impacts are determined during the concept and design phase. Decisions regarding materials, modularity, repairability and service life not only determine ecological impacts, but also open up new business models such as sharing, product-as-a-service, upgrade concepts and remanufacturing.

At the same time, politicians are developing binding guidelines through frameworks and directives. Circular design is thus evolving from a voluntary initiative into a prerequisite for competitiveness, innovative strength and resource efficiency.

Together with our partner respACT and our wonderful members, we have developed a fact sheet on circular product design based on the joint webinar „Circular Design in Practice“ held on 17 October, with the aim of simplifying product design in line with the principles of a circular economy.

Further information about the webinar can be found at respACT website.

You can download the fact sheet here.