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Design for Remanufacturing and Circular Business Models

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Sustainability Through Innovation in Product Life Cycle Design

Part of the book series: EcoProduction ((ECOPROD))

Abstract

Remanufacturing has significant market potential, and the purported benefits of remanufacturing are compelling. Remanufacturing offers a means to retain control of products and materials throughout the product life cycle, and, therefore, through remanufacturing, businesses can insulate against material price shocks and future material scarcity issues. Remanufacturing has therefore been identified as a ‘sleeping giant’ whose potential, once tapped, can fast track companies to increased profits, while, in parallel, realising circular practices within industrial systems. However, it is widely accepted that the majority of products that are currently remanufactured have not been designed for remanufacturing and business models to support remanufacturing are complex. In light of these combined issues, this paper presents the story of a business in transition. The core aim of this paper is to build understanding of design for remanufacturing and remanufacturing-oriented business models. The paper reports on the linkages between design and business model strategies by presenting a case of a business-led pilot study conducted to explore the commercial viability of remanufacturing. The results show how life cycle considerations and a combination of design and business strategies can accelerate transition to resource-efficient business models. The paper illuminates the topic of remanufacturing by showcasing a dynamic real-world business case, from which other companies can learn.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Product Innovation Management, Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft, Delft, Landbergstraat 15, 2628, CE, The Netherlands

    Sharon Prendeville & Nancy Bocken

Authors
  1. Sharon Prendeville
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  2. Nancy Bocken
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sharon Prendeville .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

    Mitsutaka Matsumoto

  2. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

    Keijiro Masui

  3. Osaka University, Suita, Japan

    Shinichi Fukushige

  4. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

    Shinsuke Kondoh

Additional information

Acknowledgments This research is supported by the European Union’s H2020 programme through the European Remanufacturing Network (ERN).

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Prendeville, S., Bocken, N. (2017). Design for Remanufacturing and Circular Business Models. In: Matsumoto, M., Masui, K., Fukushige, S., Kondoh, S. (eds) Sustainability Through Innovation in Product Life Cycle Design. EcoProduction. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0471-1_18

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