The traditional linear model is wasteful by design. It is rooted in the extraction of new resources and contributes to over 50% of global climate impact. This leads to significant indirect emissions for companies, coming from raw material supply and product lifecycles - Scope 3 - which are hard to tackle. Relying only on energy efficiency and green energy isn’t enough. As environmental concerns grow, so does the demand for material efficiency and sustainable products.
Policies like the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) drive this shift by establishing circularity as the norm, requiring products to be durable, repairable, and reusable. Adopting circular design is essential for addressing these issues. Shifting to circular design can help businesses lower costs, reduce emissions, and create new economic opportunities while ensuring compliance with regulations and boosting brand loyalty.
At Stena Circular Consulting, we have created five smart introductory services to help you start your journey within circular product design.
From an inspiring workshop within Design for circularity to analyzing recycling rates, screening carbon footprint, identifying alternative materials with lower environmental footprint, and maximizing material recyclability and reuse – our experts are here to guide you every step of the way.
Our work on Design for Circularity (DfC) helps uncover obstacles to be addressed:
DfC focuses on the inner loops of a circular economy: Repair, Reuse, Refurbish, and Remanufacture. These loops keep products in circulation, minimizing waste and reducing the need for new resources. Designing for circularity involves more than just product changes—it requires a holistic approach to ensure re-circulation in practice. This involves addressing prerequisites within three core areas:
We recognize that circularity isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Our DfC assessments can be customized to best meet your business strategy, whether it's repair, reuse, refurbishment and/or remanufacturing. The appropriate approach depends on your goals, capabilities, product's complexity, and industry context. Our assessment can also integrate Design for Recycling to even address end-of-life and recycling considerations.
Depending on your team’s need, we can adapt the pace of intervention, through an iterative approach, from intensive workshop sessions to full scope analysis. To evaluate your product’s baseline for circularity, we offer a structured methodology that includes:
Our proprietary methodology is aligned with evolving regulatory requirements that increasingly mandate circular practices. This includes market-specific directives like the French Repairability Index, current EU’s regulations and the forthcoming Right to Repair and ESPR requirements which will establish new standards across the EU for product circularity. By integrating regulatory insights, we help ensure that your products not only meet today’s standards but are also future-proofed. This means you are not only ready for the market but also positioned to meet consumer expectations and government requirements.
Circularity offers businesses a significant competitive advantage by creating products that are designed to be reused, repaired, refurbished, or remanufactured. Our product assessment helps you profit from new revenue streams, deep customer loyalty and reduce long-term operational costs. For example:
The Design for Circularity methodology equips you with clear, actionable insights to transform your product design. We provide tailored recommendations that help you and your design team pinpoint product flaws and identify areas for improvement, ensuring you to design for real circularity.
Together, we generate ideas for prioritized developments that align with your goals and capabilities, creating a comprehensive roadmap for success - whether you’re looking for immediate changes or long-term strategies. Recognizing that circularity is a systemic effort, we facilitate alignment across departments - design, supply, customer service and sales - ensuring everyone is engaged.
Finally, we assist you in identifying the right partners and internal capabilities needed to support your journey, empowering your organization to thrive.
