Addressing environmental burdens associated with the operation and infrastructure of the electrical transmission system products is imperative. Implementing Ecodesign practices in the early stages of product development and adopting circularity approaches throughout the product value chain is crucial to mitigate adverse impacts. However, transitioning from a traditional to a circular business model necessitates a well-defined strategic plan enabling organisations to assess their current situation and develop effective tactics. Nevertheless, trade-offs between circularity and sustainability must be carefully considered, as circular practices may not always align with the triple bottom line. Therefore, accurately prioritising circular strategies is essential for establishing a circular and sustainable product life cycle. This research evaluates business practices of Grid Solutions and proposes priority strategies, guidelines and KPIs to enhance product circularity. For this purpose, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methodology based on expert’s judgment, is implemented. The prioritised strategies are analysed using an Importance vs Difficulty matrix to identify high-value and strategic actions. Simultaneously, product circularity indicators are evaluated and ranked based on the AHP outcomes. Subsequently, the most relevant indicator is assessed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the prioritised guidelines, through High Voltage (HV) equipment. Results highlight that minimising energy consumption is essential for improving product circularity, as LCA analysis confirms. The chosen circular indicator is tested by comparing an HV product version with lower energy losses to the product baseline, exhibiting a 51.45% increase in sustainable circularity and approximately 20% reduction in adverse environmental impacts. Additionally, prioritising efforts to minimise non-conformities, promote repairability, and enable upgrades are also of high relevance. Finally, the research provides recommendations for New Product Introduction (NPI) frameworks and sustainable reporting.

This thesis aims at developing a (dis/re)assembly oriented methodology towards product end-of-life. Particular focus in this thesis is on the circularity of furniture via design for (dis/re)assembly. The main motivation behind this study was the need for a method to evaluate the (dis/re)assembly options of furniture designs to be able to facilitate repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, or recycling. The study draws upon relevant theories and prior research on Circular product Design, Design for EoL, Design for Environment, and Design for (Dis)assembly of vehicles, electrical and elocronic equipments, whitegoods, as well as office furniture, though relatively limited. The proposed methodology determines major aspects of design for (dis/re)assembly to be taken in to consideration in the early stages of product development. It further provides a set of parameters that are relevant to cabinet type and upholstery furniture group. The study involves a variety of qualitative research methods that are embedded in an interactive research conduct with the engagement of different stakeholders that are charged with the task of product development at Ikea of Sweden (IoS), the collaborator of this study.  The proposed methodology is implemented on three selected furniture designs in a pilot study. The results of the study, above all, suggest that (dis/re)assemblability of a product is a strategic choice that needs to be made at early phases of product development, namely the design phase. Two particular features of the furniture groups, upon which this study focuses, emerges as factors having negative impact on the disassemblability of products: first, wooden frame sofas with respect to their complex structure and connectivity of componants and, second, permanent joints with respect to their destructive impact on the product. The study concludes that it is feasible to develop and implement a potentially comprehensible method to evaluate the ease of disassembly of furniture products and to design for disassembly. The proposed methodology in this study is a contribution to support product design for disassembly towards product circularity.

The societal shift towards the circular economy is gaining momentum due to the push from the legislation side and the increasing social awareness towards the ecological imbalance caused by the linear model of resource extraction and consumption. The topic of design for the circular economy is gaining increasing interest in both academia and industry. The circular economy requires products to be designed based on a lifecycle approach and extended lifetime.This thesis aimed to investigate the potential application of modular design strategy as a supportive approach to aid Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in their bid to adapt their product features to fit within a circular economic model. Furthermore, the study has investigated the potential challenges encountered during the adoption of such a design strategy and concludes with recommendations to overcome the identified challenges.To address this aim, a case study was carried out within a global OEM, based on their interest in exploring the circular economy's design domain. A literature review and interviews have been conducted to assess how product circularity factors can be addressed using a modular design strategy and identifying the potential challenges that can hinder its realization.The study initially identified seven design factors that need to be addressed along the different phases of a product lifecycle to ensure a fit within a circular economic model. The seven circularity factors are design: based on a lifecycle approach, for durability, for adaptability, for upgradability, for ease of maintenance and repair, for ease of disassembly and reassembly, and standardization and compatibility.The study also revealed that a standardized and simplified interface between different modules within the product plays a vital role in enhancing its ability to address the different circularity factors. The standardized interface in the modular product qualifies the product to become useable for multiple usage cycles. Furthermore, such a modular product can be considered an open-source product since it can continuously be updated with the latest available technology. Such continuous updates allow the open-source product to adapt to the changes in the working environment effectively.Despite the capability of a modular design strategy to address the different circularity factors, several challenges can hinder its implementation in the industry. The primary challenge industries face when adopting such a strategy is identifying the main objectives of such an approach. Further, this strategy might negatively impact product profitability, which is a significant challenge for the industries. Moreover, the prospect of adopting modular strategies also faces design challenges, such as the potential of losing customer interest in a modular product.The thesis concludes with a few recommendations to overcome these challenges associated with adopting a modular design strategy for a circular economy. To overcome such challenges, industries need clear identification of the circular economy and the planned outcome of such a manufacturing shift based on clear systems thinking and transparency in product development. In the end, the study proposes a design framework, which may provide industries with a transparent methodology for designing a modular product for a circular economy.

A change in resource consumption patterns is crucial to avoid climate change, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to increase climate resilience and consequently, the idea of a circular economy (CE) has gained widespread attention. The resource intense building and construction sector has become subject to both internal and external pressure to become more circular. Throughout the sector, the environmental product declaration (EPD) is often used to communicate environmental and sustainability information about products but currently, the EPD lacks the inclusion of specific circularity information. This thesis aims to identify a suitable indicator for measuring the product circularity of construction products that can be implemented into the existing EPD-scheme. The study is based on an extensive literature review, qualitative interviews with green building councils (GBCs) and expert discussions with the ECO Platform task group for CE. The identified product circularity indicators have been assessed against a certain set of subjects and criteria to evaluate their inclusion of circularity subjects as well as their suitability to the EPD. The assessment identified two indicators scoring the highest, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) and the New Circularity Index (NCI). These indicators were included in a short pilot study to further evaluate their usability and applicability. The study concludes that both indicators are suitable for inclusion in the EPD-scheme to some extent, but they both lack a full inclusion of the end of life (EoL) stage. These subjects must be covered to ensure inclusion of comprehensive circularity information but nevertheless, the MCI and the NCI remains the best options. / För att undvika klimatförändringar, minska utsläppen av växthusgaser och öka samhällets resiliens måste användandet av naturresurser förändras. I samband med en ny syn på resursanvändning har idén om en cirkulär ekonomi fått stor uppmärksamhet. Både interna och externa krav har ökat på den resursintensiva byggsektorn att bli mer cirkulär. I byggsektorn används ofta miljövarudeklarationer (EPD) för att kommunicera miljö- och hållbarhetsinformation om produkter. Idag saknar dock EPD-systemet specifik information om produkters cirkuläritetsprestanda. Detta examensarbete syftar därför till att identifiera en indikator som är lämplig för att mäta produktcirkuläritet hos byggprodukter och som kan implementeras i det befintliga EPD-systemet. Studien är baserad på en omfattande litteraturstudie och kvalitativa intervjuer med Green Building Councils (GBC) samt expertdiskussioner med ECO Platforms arbetsgrupp för cirkulär ekonomi. Ett antal identifierade indikatorer för produktcirkuläritet har utvärderats mot ett antal kriterier framtagna av arbetsgruppen. Målet var att utvärdera deras respektive inkludering av cirkuläritet samt deras lämplighet i förhållande till en EPD. De två indikatorer som fick högst poäng, Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) och New Circularity Index (NCI), inkluderades i en pilotstudie för att utvärdera deras användbarhet och tillämpbarhet i praktiken. Studien drar slutsatsen att båda indikatorerna är lämpliga för att inkluderas i EPD-systemet till en viss utsträckning. Dock saknar de båda en fullständig inkludering av cirkuläritetsperspektiv som täcker produktens slutskede i livscykeln. Dessa perspektiv är av stor vikt för att säkerställa framförandet av fullständig cirkuläritetsinformation. Trots detta visar studien att MCI och NCI är de indikatorer som utgör de bästa alternativen för att integreras i en EPD.