Special Issue "Product Design and Consumer Behavior in A Circular Economy"

Dear Colleagues,

In a circular economy, material flows are restored through closed-loop processes, due to which valuable resources are reused and less waste is created. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2013) proposes that stimulating closed-loop processes goes far beyond mere recycling, and that more attention should be paid to extending the product’s lifetime by repair and maintenance, by offering a useful second life via refurbishment/remanufacturing, and/or by moving to alternative ownership models such as sharing or access-based business models.

To realize the full potential of these strategies, consumers should change their perceptions of and behaviours towards the products involved. Only if consumers are able and motivated to repair and maintain their products, and if their perceptions towards their own products remain positive, will they be encouraged to keep these. Correspondingly, consumers need to perceive ample benefits and limited risks in refurbished/remanufactured products and in alternative ownership models to see these as viable alternatives. Product design may play a critical role in influencing consumers’ perceptions towards (sustainable) products and innovations and in influencing consumers’ behaviour.

This special issue aims to explore the role of product design for contributing to the success of the first and second lifetime extension of products and to the success of alternative ownership models.

Suggested topics and related research questions:

• What is the role of product design for initiating a circular economy?
• Which (design) factors influence consumers’ acceptance of circular products (e.g., refurbished/remanufactured products)?
• Which (design) factors influence consumers’ tendency to repair and maintain their products?
• How can product design induce behavioral change and thereby create a circular economy?
• How do consumers respond to alternative ownership models such as sharing or access-based consumption?

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Circular economy
• Product design
• Consumer behavior
• Behavioral change
• Alternative ownership models
• Refurbishment/remanufacturing