Empirical exploration of the circular economy potential model: A workshop-based pilot study in product development

Abstract Circular economy principles need to be translated into concrete product development decisions early in the design process. The Circular Economy Potential Model (CEPM) supports this translation by guiding product developers from circular economy potentials to action fields, measures, methods, and implementation planning. This article presents an initial empirical exploration of the CEPM in a workshop-based pilot study with 14 trained engineers from academic and industrial contexts. Participants completed a circular product improvement task first without methodological support and then with the CEPM. The study combined an exploratory descriptive analysis of standardized task outputs with questionnaire-based measures of motivation, perceived learning and application, anticipated outcomes, and affective reactions. The exploratory analysis of task outputs indicated clearer linkages between circularity-related improvement opportunities, measures, and associated methods in the CEPM-supported condition, although the pattern was not uniform across outputs. Compared with the unassisted condition, subjective evaluations were descriptively more favorable in the CEPM-supported condition across all positively framed measures, whereas negative affect was lower, particularly pronounced differences concerned perceived knowledge, anticipated applicability, and instrumentality. Due to the small sample and fixed order of conditions, the results should be interpreted as preliminary. Overall, the study moves the CEPM from conceptual development toward empirical investigation and provides a basis for examining when, how, and for whom structured reflection can support the translation of circular economy ambitions into product development action. Practical Relevance : This paper presents the Circular Economy Potential Model (CEPM) as a structured way to reflect on existing products, identify relevant circular economy potentials, and derive action fields, measures, and suitable methods. For practice, the CEPM offers product developers and interdisciplinary teams a common structure for systematically exploring circular product improvement options rather than focusing on a single strategy or primarily on end-of-life solutions. A concrete use scenario is a dedicated reflection session in which teams examine an existing product, identify circularity potentials, derive possible improvement measures, connect them with suitable methods, and make relevant trade-offs and priorities explicit. The pilot study shows that such a structured process can be applied within a time-bounded product improvement setting. The CEPM therefore provides a practice-oriented approach for organizations seeking to move from general circular economy ambitions toward structured and actionable product development options.