Eco-design for Circularity: Automatic design proposal based on structural and functional definitions of 2nd life components using Generative AI.

Many sustainable design approaches focus on preserving the value of the product when it reaches the end of its life and is assimilated to waste: functional recovery of the product or its modules, material recovery through recycling, or energy recovery. However, to ensure the highest levels of value preservation, another approach is to develop design strategies from end-of-life by reusing all or parts of the products into new ones. Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces innovative solutions for circularity and waste management. Currently, design quality heavily relies on human expertise, modeling, and simulation tools. Our research explores the use of AI as an exchange tool between designers and end-of-life stakeholders to understand requirements, search for optimal solutions, and make informed decisions. As such, we aim to develop AI solutions tailored to different stages of the design process within a circular economy framework, focusing specifically on the design of products based on recovered second-life components. We aim to enhance circularity by using Generative AI for the structural and functional reuse of end-of-life products. For functional reuse, we propose a recommendation system using large language models (LLM), and for structural reuse, we propose creative design ideas using text-to-image models. Advanced technologies like Generative AI are crucial for effective product design and strengthening circular economy implementations.