Examining longevity in tools for a circular economy

Industrial production contributes significantly to ecological sustainability challenges. One guiding approach to address these challenges is the circular economy. Slowing down resource flows is one of the main strategies of the circular economy. This involves extending the lifespan of products within and across multiple life cycles and increasing their utilization intensity. Various tools have been developed to support companies in adopting circular economy practices. This study examines how these tools facilitate designing for product longevity. Specifically, the study analyzes 10 tools — five recent tools identified in academic literature and five first emerging through internet scraping. These tools are annotated and coded to reveal qualitative insights regarding the level of longevity they address (theoretical and methodological insights) and how these tools help handling longevity-related aspects (practical and applied insights). The findings highlight how these tools contribute to extending product lifespans and identify the extent to which they could support slowing down resource flows.