Globally, the rising extraction of raw materials results in substantial resource depletion. The global circularity rate declines yearly as goods manufacturing consumes energy, fossil fuels, and primary materials. In the EU, about 11 million tonnes of furniture are discarded annually, and most end up in landfills. Sweden discards about 330.000 tonnes of office furniture each year. Sharing and reusing with Circular Economy (CE) strategies can possibly reduce environmental impact, yet challenges may arise from extra measures and expectancies when sharing. There are few studies that assess CE strategies in the use phase and environmental impacts of furniture. For the evaluation of CE strategies and a product's potential environmental impact and comparing user scenarios, this study used a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The goal is to explore under what circumstances height adjustable desks (desks) in four user scenarios (baseline scenario and three scenarios with adopted CE strategies for closing, slowing, and narrowing the material loops) are the most beneficial for the environment. The evaluation is conducted by analysing the scenario’s potential impact (i.e., midpoint categories GWP, HNCT and MRS). The results show that the manufacturing of the desk frame has a significant impact in the midpoint categories GWP and MRS, and the manufacturing of the motor in the midpoint category HNCT, in all four scenarios. The rental scenario, with high utilisation (80%) due to flexibility, has the lowest potential impact, compared to the three other scenarios with 40% utilisation. Two sensitivity analyses were conducted, which showed that the utilisation rate and lifespan of parts (due to aesthetic expectations) is crucial for what scenario that has the best outcome. Rental and reuse have a lower impact compared to recycling and baseline. The circumstances of high utilisation rate and flexibility benefitted the rental scenario. Product design strategies such as modular, easy repair and maintenance, and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) keeping ownership or agreeing with the user are critical for substituting parts in the reuse and rental scenarios. This study shows that renting office desks is the best option, compared to the other scenarios, as long as utilisation is over 54% and high user expectations do not demand new desktops every 5th year.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-45073 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Alevåg, Rebecca, Johansson, Klara Mia Johanna |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för byggnadsteknik, energisystem och miljövetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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