Knowledge Base Repository

In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.

Monitoring and advancing the circular economy transition
Circularity indicators and tools applied to the heavy vehicle industry


Type:
Year:
2018
Supervisor:
Bernard Yannou, Yann Leroy, François Cluzel
Institution:
Université Paris-Saclay
Page(s):
241
Abstract:
Implementing circular economy practices is increasingly acknowledged as a convenient solution to meet the goals of sustainable development. Meanwhile, there is at present no recognized way of measuring how effectively a region or a company is in making the transition to a circular economy, nor holistic monitoring tools for supporting such a process. New methods and tools are required to support industrial practitioners in their transition towards more circular practices, as well as to monitor the effects of circular economy adoption. In absence of regulations addressing the end-of-life management of their fleet, the heavy vehicles industry is both a challenging and promising industrial sector – of huge economic and environmental importance, but barely addressed from a research perspective – that needs to be boosted in its move to a more circular economy. An in-depth preliminary study reveals indeed huge potential to develop circular strategies and solutions in the heavy vehicles sector. This research explores the improvement potential for closing industrial material and components loops. On this basis, the objectives of the present Ph.D. thesis are: to provide an integrated and comprehensive framework to measure, improve and monitor the circularity performance of complex industrial systems; to identify the best mechanisms and action levers to close the loop on heavy vehicles and associated key components - providing thus decision-making support for the end-of-life management of heavy vehicles. At the intersection of design engineering and industrial ecology, this Ph.D thesis - by articles - aims to provide new meaningful insights both for academics and industrial practitioners. In fact, for each chapter, academic publications and industrial deliverables are given, illustrating and disseminating both theoretical contributions and practical implications. For instance, it includes: a proposed taxonomy of circularity indicators and its associated selection tool; an experimentation and critical analysis of several circularity indicators on a heavy vehicle’s key component; the design of a multi-tool methodology to model, simulate and quantify the impact of potential circular strategies; an industrial pilot study on an end-of-life heavy vehicle, dealing with the techno-economic and environmental analysis of possible recovery options.
Keywords:

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