Article | REF: G7014 V1

Circular economy: an answer to obsolescence

Authors: Gautier VANSON, Pascale MARANGÉ, Éric LEVRAT

Publication date: May 10, 2023

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ABSTRACT

The depletion of natural resources, the increase in waste, the difficulty in sourcing electronic components and the obsolescence of products have become current issues that must be addressed to preserve the environment. One of the solutions proposed in the literature is to move to a circular economy, which is the opposite of the linear economy. The circular economy proposes a shift from a consumption and production paradigm to a "regeneration" paradigm. This solution, as defined in the literature, only applies to products designed to be regenerated in the technosphere or nature. However, many products are already on the market that do not meet the design criteria of the circular economy. These products can also be regenerated in the technosphere. In this article we focus on a short- and medium-term perspective by looking at the products already designed, on the market. Thus, the objective of the work is to deepen the principles of the circular economy by taking up the concept of biomimicry, to apply them to existing products and to propose a solution to reuse them as long as possible. To this end, regenerators are added to the basic concept, making it possible to exploit all the elements of a product and to "feed" the sectors of activity present in the technosphere.

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AUTHORS

  • Gautier VANSON: Doctoral student - CRAN, université de Lorraine, CNRS UMR 7039, campus sciences, BP 239, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France

  • Pascale MARANGÉ: Senior Lecturer - CRAN, université de Lorraine, CNRS UMR 7039, campus sciences, BP 239, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France

  • Éric LEVRAT: University Professor - CRAN, université de Lorraine, CNRS UMR 7039, campus sciences, BP 239, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France

 INTRODUCTION

Over the last few decades, questions have been raised about the obsolescence of products, leading to problems of raw material supply and increased waste. Indeed, numerous socio-economic studies show that natural resources are running out, and that our consumption patterns are producing large quantities of waste that is damaging our environment and leading to climate change. From a societal point of view, behavioral changes in consumption and usage patterns would have to be drastic to have rapid, positive effects on the environment, and therefore cannot be the only lever for action. In response, governments at both national and European level are introducing legislation to encourage companies to set up recycling processes for products that have already been sold. A long-term course of action in the face of this recycling challenge is the implementation of the circular economy, which focuses on the way we produce, use and recycle products at the end of their useful life, in order to consume less energy and fewer raw materials.

This article proposes (i) to formalize the industrial regeneration process by applying the principle of biomimicry, (ii) to define the internal activities of regeneration and apply it to the different levels of product architecture, and (iii) to integrate regeneration into the different types of obsolescence in order to provide some answers.

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KEYWORDS

sustainable development   |   circular economy   |   Regeneration Paradigm


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