Advancing Circular Economy: The Product Circularity Index as a Tool for Sustainable Design

Abstract

The rise of the fast-consuming era, marked by manufacturers continuously increasing production rates, has led to the design and manufacturing of products without due consideration for sustainability aspects. Despite the overall reduction in production costs, this approach harms the environment and circumvents circularity methodologies. To bridge the gap between traditional design practices and sustainability, we propose a structural method for measuring circularity in design. The introduced Product Circularity Index (ProdCircIn) serves as a quantifiable measure to assess a product's alignment with circular economy principles and functions as a key performance indicator (KPI) for evaluating and comparing products based on their circularity attributes. Specifically, ProdCircIn evaluates products in six pillars: design philosophy, usage of materials, design for manufacturing, design for quality, design for warranty, and design for the future. These pillars are quantified through relevant questionnaires, as analytical solutions and formulas could be more practical due to the distinct characteristics of each product.