Search Results (84)

Offsite construction (OSC) offers a promising alternative for accelerating refurbishment projects across Italy and Europe. However, its adoption remains limited due to technical, regulatory, and cultural barriers. This study, conducted as part of the OFFICIO project, maps the current European OSC landscape, with a focus on wood and light-steel technologies for sustainable building refurbishment. Combining a literature review, analysis of funded projects, and market data for 541 OSC products, the study develops tailored KPIs to assess these products’ technical maturity, prefabrication level, and environmental integration. The results reveal that wood-based OSC, although less widespread, is more mature and centered on the use of multi-layer panels, while steel-based systems, though more prevalent, remain largely tied to semi-offsite construction, indicating untapped development potential. Research efforts, especially concentrated in Mediterranean regions, focus on technological integration of renewable energy systems. A significant literature gap was identified in information concerning panel-to-wall connection, critical for renovation, limiting OSC’s adaptability to regeneration of existing buildings. The findings highlight the need for cross-sector collaboration, legislative clarity, and better alignment of public procurement standards with OSC characteristics. Addressing these issues is essential to bridge the gap between research prototypes and industrial adoption and accelerate the sustainable transformation of Europe’s construction sector to help meet climate neutrality targets. Full article

Consumers’ growing interest in sustainability and the consideration of purchasing second-hand products present conditions for developing and improving a new method for Remaining Value (RV) estimation. The remaining value refers to the value of an end-of-life product that has been inspected, repaired, if necessary, and prepared for resale. Through the literature review, the main blockers, trustworthiness, price, and quality, were identified as preventing consumers from purchasing used products. Trustworthiness could be ensured by evaluating used products in an automated and model-based manner. To enhance consumers’ confidence, this study proposes a novel framework to assess the remaining value of non-new products by incorporating the diagnostic test results, even in the absence of a gold standard for model comparison and evaluation. This research expands the application of the Hui–Walter method beyond medical diagnostics by adapting it to sustainability-focused estimation. The proposed framework is designed to assist consumers in making data-informed purchase decisions and support retailers in assessing the market price while contributing to the environmental pillar of sustainability by reducing waste and resource consumption and extending the product lifetime. This work aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Action) by providing quantifiable methods to extend the product lifecycle and minimize electronic waste. While this study focuses on developing the theoretical framework, future work will apply and validate this framework using empirical case studies and compare it with the remaining value estimation models. Full article

The world is facing unprecedented sustainability challenges, and the circular economy (CE) can provide some solutions to promote more sustainable practices among companies. This study aimed at exploring, discovering, analyzing and synthetizing approaches related to the 10R principles, the CE principles and CE business models in the shipping sector in Finland. The research approach was based on qualitative research that aimed at identifying approaches related to the selected three main elements: (1) the 10R principles; (2) the CE principles; and (3) CE business models. The findings of this study suggest that most approaches that were identified were related to the following 10R principles: (1) replacement of products or making of products redundant (R0); (2) rethinking of products (R1); and (3) reduction in the use of resources in the manufacturing and use of products (R2). Only a few approaches could be identified that were related to the reuse of products (R3), the recycling of materials (R8) and recovery of materials (R9). There were typically no or only a few approaches identified that were related to the repair of products (R4), refurbishment of products (R5), remanufacturing of products (R6) and repurposing of products and their parts (R7). For many companies, there were no identified approaches related to the R3–R7 principles. Regarding the CE principles, the findings of this study suggest that quite a number of approaches were identified that were related to the circulation of products and materials and that many approaches were identified that were related to the elimination of waste and pollution. Typically only a few approaches were identified for the regeneration of nature. Regarding the CE business models, the findings suggest that quite a number of approaches were identified that were related to the circular supply models, supply chains and inputs, and there were many approaches for resource recovery. Only a few approaches were identified that were related to product use/life extension, sharing and sharing platforms, and product-as-a-service and product-service systems. Full article

Durable plastics are a sustainability challenge for healthcare products. Orthopedic products are regulated with strict specifications for human tissue interactions. Healthcare engineers and managers select plastic to meet the full range of material properties. Plastic is plentiful, low cost, and reliable, with established supply chains. Used plastic products can be discarded using existing waste management systems with low externality costs for orthopedic businesses. However, plastic is produced from fossil petroleum, raising issues for sustainability commitments of healthcare product companies. Barriers to the transition away from single-use plastic toward circular systems and bio-based healthcare products have been studied, but the transition is a goal that has yet to be realized. This research article reports on a transition engineering design sprint with a medium-sized orthopedic company specializing in orthoses for children and teenagers. The design sprint process engages company experts with systems perspectives on the role of unsustainable plastic in orthopedic healthcare and illuminates opportunities for capturing value in business transition. Two system transition project concepts were co-developed. The first concept is a plastics value map that aims to converge the satisfaction of essential needs with the usefulness of plastics under the limitations of a biophysically constrained future economy. The second concept is an orthopedics library data system concept that would allow reusing of fit-for-purpose used products and to inform the refurbishment of used products. In addition to an explanation of the design of the two concepts, the article presents reflections of co-design stakeholders on the usefulness and usability of the concepts. The article provides a real-world application of the co-design processes in transition engineering and the reflection by the company on the value of the results. The results indicate that the co-designed concepts could enable the company to address its sustainability aspirations and potentially resolve the dissonance of sustainability and business viability. Full article

Background: Optimizing reverse chains is more difficult than forward linear supply chains. Careful consideration should be given to recovery strategies to optimize product reuse as well as recycling. Methods: Using a 450-product dataset from the Melbourne area collection project and literature sources, we applied a calculation model with four recovery options. It modeled different return quality levels, three market segments, cost structures, buy-back and resell prices, carbon emissions, and the percentage of reuse and recycling for the four Rs (volume-based). We compared fifteen recovery strategies with one, two, three, or four recovery options and carried out sensitivity analyses to explore the impact of return volumes and quality, recovery cost, and market prices. Results: The main findings are as follows: (i) Product reuse has a lot of potential, but currently only for premium brands and requires the returned products to be of good quality. (ii) Environmental footprints are reduced in almost all scenarios, so economic viability is the main bottleneck in applying (more) reuse. (iii) Eco-design and circular business models may pave the way to reduce costs and increase market acceptance. Conclusions: We conclude with three suggested strategies for promoting reuse of electronic equipment: 1. Collecting discarded products earlier; 2. Incentivizing modular product design; 3. Greater consistency in asset management and refurbishment operations. Full article

Problem: Remanufacturers want to increase consumer interest in refurbished products, which motivates the need to understand which product features are important to buyers of refurbished products such as mobile phones. Research Questions: This study addresses two questions. First, which product features are most important for buyers of refurbished iPhones? Second, how do those preferences differ from the preferences of buyers of new iPhones? Methods: Online reviews of iPhones are obtained and converted into a document–term matrix. Using this text model, three subsets of features are identified using statistical analysis of frequency of mention: most frequent, average, and least frequent. A logistic regression (LR) model is then used to identify which features are most predictive of whether a review is for a new or refurbished phone. Results: Buyers of refurbished phones mention battery health, screen/display, shell condition, and brand significantly more often than other features. Directly contrasting reviews of refurbished versus new phones shows that shell condition, brand, speaker, and charger are found to be the most predictive product features indicated in reviews for refurbished phones. Of those, the shell condition is significantly more predictive than the others. Implications: The results identify product features that remanufacturers of iPhones can emphasize to increase customer demand. Full article

This study considers the planning decisions in a production facility that receives returned products as a contribution to sustainability through the reduction in waste from used products. It involves three processes: the refurbishing and disassembly of returned items and the manufacturing of new items. The process is driven by the demands of new items and collected secondhand items. In this study, we consider a downward substitution, in which new items could be used to meet the demand for secondhand items. The objective is to determine the best production planning schedule to satisfy all demands while minimizing the total costs of production and inventory. We propose and analyze different configurations distinguished by their level of integration and whether they allow substitution. Integration is mainly achieved through the sharing of the inventory of returns between the refurbishing line and the disassembly line, which responsible for feeding the manufacturing process with “as good as new” parts. The best configuration is identified based on the total cost and environmental impact. Four heuristics based on combining relax-and-fix and fix-and-optimize approaches are proposed. Numerical experiments have shown that the heuristics are very efficient, achieving gaps of less than 1% from the optimum in short CPU times for most instances. Numerical experiments have also shown that integration through the sharing of returns inventories leads to considerable cost and environmental benefits. Full article

Power Electronics Converters (PEC) play a crucial role in the operation of many modern electrical systems and devices. Despite their widespread use, the lack of an efficient and cost-effective disassembly process can limit their repairability, refurbishability, remanufacturability and, ultimately, recyclability, thus hindering the circularity of products. In order to improve their circularity, it is important to assess their ease of disassembly. Therefore, this paper investigates the applicability of the “ease of Disassembly Metric” (eDiM), which is referenced in the material efficiency standards, Benelux repairability assessment method, and Repair Scoring System (RSS), to analyze the ease of disassembly of energy-related products. After identifying the limitations of the eDiM method, we refined and adapted it to make it more suitable for Printed Circuit Board (PCB)-based PEC, and thus propose a PCB-based disassemblability assessment method allowing the implementation of quantifiable requirements supporting their circularity. This standardized approach, at the PCB level, can improve the circularity of such products by facilitating design enhancements. With this approach, policymakers and designers can contribute more effectively to the transition to a circular economy in PCB electronics, particularly in the field of power electronics. Full article

Shale oil and gas wells usually experience a rapid decline in production due to their extremely low permeability and strong heterogeneity. As a crucial technique to harness potential and elevate extraction rates in aged wells (formations), refracturing is increasingly employed within oil and gas reservoirs globally. At present, the selection processes for refracturing, both of wells and layers, are somewhat subjective and necessitate considerable field data. However, the status of fracturing technology is difficult to control precisely, and the difference in construction effects is large. In this paper, well selection, formation selection, and the fracturing technology of shale oil and gas refracturing are deeply analyzed, and the technological status and main technical direction of refracturing technology at home and abroad are analyzed and summarized. The applicability, application potential, and main technical challenges of existing technology for different wells are discussed, combined with the field production dynamics. The results show that well and layer selection is the key to the successful application of refracturing technology, and the geological engineering parameters closely related to the remaining reservoir reserves and formation energy should be considered as the screening parameters. General temporary plugging refracturing technology has a low cost and a simple process, but it is difficult to accurately control the location of temporary plugging, and the construction effect is very different. Mechanical isolation refracturing technology permits the exact refurbishment of regions untouched by the initial fracturing. However, it is costly and complex in terms of construction. Consequently, cutting the costs of mechanical isolation refracturing technology stands as a pivotal research direction. Full article

Innovative technological solutions have become increasingly critical in addressing the transportation sector’s environmental impact. Passenger vehicles present an opportunity to introduce novel drivetrain solutions that can quickly penetrate the electric vehicle market due to their shorter development time and lifetime compared to commercial vehicles. As environmental policy pressure increases and customers demand more sustainable products, shifting from a linear business approach to a circular economy model is in prospect. The new generation of economically competitive machines must be designed with a restorative intention, considering future reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, and recycling possibilities. This review investigates the market penetration possibilities of permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance machines for mini and small-segment electric vehicles, considering the urban environment and sustainability aspects of the circular economy model. When making changes to the materials used in an electric machine, it is crucial to evaluate their potential impact on efficiency while keeping the environmental impact of those materials in mind. The indirect ecological effect of the vehicle’s use phase may outweigh the reduction in manufacturing and recycling at its end-of-life. Therefore, thoroughly analysing the materials used in the design process is necessary to ensure maximum efficiency while minimising the environmental impact. Full article

Municipal solid waste (MSW) represents a significant global threat, which has to be managed by a model of production and consumption involving the sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling of existing materials and products for as long as possible, otherwise known as a circular economy (CE). However, there is not a universal rule for waste recycling strategies, and it has been demonstrated that active public participation is crucial in the satisfactory management of waste. In this context, citizen participation and education are two interrelated approaches, which can help to engage and inform people regarding waste and its wider impact. The present study describes the development of an interdisciplinary hackathon (hackathons are events whereby individuals from different backgrounds are brought together to work on the solutions to different problems), targeted to students of a postgraduate Master’s course on Sustainable Development and Climate Change in order to develop and understand the MSW problems and priorities currently being targeted, with the aim to propose new potential solutions for MSW reduction, reuse, and recycling. Following an empirical approach, four working groups were established and assigned the following specific tasks: (i) communication/citizen education on MSW; (ii) the reduction of MSW production; (iii) innovative solutions to recover and enhance secondary raw materials deriving from MSW processing; and (iv) the eco-design of the cities of the future concerning CE principles applied to MSW recycling. Overall, the following main findings were derived from the hackathon event: (i) an essential objective of the CE strategy is to drive Europe’s internal market towards the production and consumption of more sustainable products, thus reducing environmental and social pressures, while still retaining value; (ii) the most effective ways of tackling environmental problems are to ‘change the way we consume’, as well as to ‘change the way we produce and trade’, with the responsibility shared between businesses, governments, and the EU, as well as the citizens themselves. In this scenario, research and innovation play a key role in driving the necessary systemic changes to reach climate neutrality and ensure an inclusive ecological and economic transition. Overall, the present study confirms how the hackathon represents an effective tool to engage citizens in participation and education. Full article

In the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, many efforts have provided remarkable contributions to construction planning and control processes during work execution. Nevertheless, frequent coordination issues among stakeholders and difficulties in dealing with unexpected events can be explained by the complexity featuring the construction sector. Several approaches to deal with this issue were investigated in the manufacturing area, among which this paper looks at the holonic approach as one of the most promising strategies. This study first analyzes the more fragmented and dynamic nature of the construction industry as compared with the manufacturing one. Secondly, it suggests developing a process-based holonic construction management system based on building information modeling (BIM) and a conceptual architecture for manufacturing control called Product Resource Order Staff Architecture (PROSA). The process-based paradigm ensures exploiting the benefits of BIM towards the development of sustainable and efficient regeneration methods of the built environment. Subsequently, a first management system prototype was developed and tested for the purpose of renovation works management. For the first time, results from an actual implementation of PROSA were applied to a real construction site, and its feasibility was assessed using the data on the field. Key performance indicators (KPIs) evaluated during the onsite demonstration confirmed a good performance of PROSA and the presented holonic approach, which contributed to the overall success of the energy efficient refurbishment project. Full article

The abandonment and deterioration of historic rural buildings in Europe raise significant issues, including hydrogeological risks, the loss of productive land, and cultural heritage decline. Despite being underestimated, these structures hold significant potential for cultural and productive activities. Renovating these structures is crucial for local communities committed to preserving their heritage, and it is a more sustainable approach than constructing new buildings. This study explores activities undertaken in the Interreg IT/AT project “SHELTER” in Valbrenta (IT): through a participatory approach involving communities, stakeholders, designers, and researchers, an energy concept is developed for refurbishing an abandoned tobacco farm, chosen by the community, to be an alpine hut. Due to the inability to connect to the city electricity grid, the new energy concept focuses on minimizing consumption through envelope refurbishment, efficient heating, and domestic hot water systems. Additionally, the integration of renewable energy sources, particularly Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), is emphasized to preserve the building’s original appearance. This study demonstrates the feasibility of meeting seasonal energy needs entirely through renewables and explores the potential integration of biomass for meeting annual energy requirements. Full article

Agile ways of working have garnered recognition for their capacity to drive innovation, placing a strong emphasis on adaptability to change and a user-centric approach. Inspired by these proven principles, the authors envision that applying scaled agile—an extension of agile methodologies—can serve as a catalyst for revolutionary transformations in how buildings are redesigned, refurbished, and operated, ushering in a new era of practices within the industry. This paper conducts an in-depth literature review to explore the application of agile ways of working in building adaptation projects. Drawing on insights from the literature review and expert validations, the authors propose the development of the Agile Building Adaptation (AgiBuild) framework, delineating its core components and outlining the probable implementation process. Notably, the framework’s successful integration hinges on crucial factors, including effective leadership influence and comprehensive training. By embracing the AgiBuild framework, the building adaptation industry holds the potential to position itself as a highly innovative and user-centered sector, bolstering productivity and performance within the broader construction domain. By aligning with the framework’s principles, the industry can cultivate a culture of adaptability and collaboration, facilitating the delivery of sustainable and customer-focused building adaptation projects that cater to the evolving needs of the built environment. Full article

Increasing populations and the extravagant consumption of virgin resources are key issues in developing economies these days. The Paris Climate Accords of 2015 have also highlighted the importance of resource conservation and sustainable consumption. Developing economies, which rely on linear practices and traditional resources, require urgent attention regarding such issues. Practices of the circular economy (CE) provide an edge to achieving self-sustainability in materials and energy and lead a guiding path towards net-zero manufacturing. Net-zero manufacturing practices can significantly reduce environmental impact, conserve resources, and contribute to a more sustainable economy. In the current research paper, the authors have studied the critical success factors (CSFs) for implementing the circular economy in Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The authors identified the CSFs through a literature review and expert opinions. To categorize and establish a structural model among the identified CSFs, the authors used Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) techniques. The model’s robustness and expert bias were checked through predisposition analysis. To verify and validate the findings of the analysis, the authors conducted a case study of an Indian SME using the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) methodology. The authors of the current study observed that government policies and regulations on CE, consumer awareness and demand for CE products, economic incentives available for CE products, and new global business opportunities due to CE are the leading cause groups of CSFs. A reduction in energy and waste-related costs, the availability of infrastructure for CE practices, and an improvement in information-sharing transparency among supply chain members are the leading effects of CSFs. The influence graph shows that ‘Govt. policy and regulation on CE’, ‘Consumer awareness and demand for CE products’, ‘Economic incentives available for CE products’, and ‘New global business opportunity due to CE’ have a higher out-degree influence on other factors. From the case study, the authors observed that the strategic implementation of CE practices, green policy, reverse logistics, staff training, and new technology adoption have improved the use of repaired and refurbished materials in the case organization from 1–2% in 2019 to 9–10% in 2023. The findings of the current study imply that management commitment and strategies for building a ‘Green image’, coordination with suppliers, technological upgrades, reverse supply chain practices, workforce skills and training, and customer awareness and demand for CE products are crucial factors in successfully adopting CE and transitioning towards net-zero manufacturing. Full article