SYDE 361

Systems
Design
Engineering

Lecture 6
Design &
Sustainability

The Circular Path

(TCP Tool)
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

S2024
8 Design Steps

❑ Ask
1) Define the problem (problem space) Ask
2) Conduct research (include user needs, translate to specs)
3) Establish constraints and variables (refine specs)

❑ Imagine
4) Brainstorm and conceptualize Improve Imagine

❑ Plan & Create

5) Select design options
6) Create a prototype Plan &
Create
❑ Improve
7) Test & analyse
8) Iterate
 • At what stage are you?
• Do you need to go back to revisit your
specs
• Did you ask all the questions? Or do you
have more to ask?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA 3

Sustainability

Three Pillars:
✓ Environmental
✓ Economical
✓ Social
 The
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
(CE)

Adopted from Dr. Marian Boktor

 Acronym Expression Explanation
A systems-wide framework whose central goal is to use
innovation to “eliminate waste and pollution, circulate
CE Circular Economy
products and materials (at their highest value), and
regenerate nature”. [1]

A framework that emphasizes the importance of

LCT Life Cycle Thinking understanding a product's entire life cycle, from extraction to
end of life, not only its composition or processing stage. [1]

The process of placing the product and its value chain into a
ST System Thinking broader context of social, economic, cultural, and behavioral
events, both in the short and long terms. [1]

Acronyms TCP
The Circular
Pathway
A methodology/ tool developed to incorporate the principles
of CE in real-world projects
They are the way in which we enable and operationalize the
Circular Economy by covering the different strategies
available to keep value on four levels: 1) the product itself, 2)
Value Retention the components of the product -the pieces of which a
VRs/ 8Rs stages (8 stages product is made- 3) the materials that constitute these
starting with “R”) components and 4) the logistics required to circulate such
elements.
Stages: Redesign, Reduce, Reuse, Resell, Remanufacture,
Recycle, Recover, Recirculate. [2]
THE
CIRCULAR
ECONOMY
(CE)
 The linear model
of economy
The traditional model of production and consumption can be
described as “linear”
The Linear Economy:
• Resources are collected and extracted (TAKE)
Take -> Make -> Use -> Dispose
• Raw materials are made into products (MAKE)
• Consumers use the products (USE)
• Consumers dispose of the products as waste (DISPOSE)
The linear model of
economy

• What are the problems with the traditional linear model?

• Creates a lot of waste
• Materials at disposal stage are thrown to landfills or directly
into the environment
• Causes pollution
• Threatens the available finite resources

• Why is it used?
• To meet economic demands
• To make profit
 What is a circular
economy (CE)?
Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s definition of CE:
CE is a way or model of thinking to make production more
a systems-wide framework whose central goal is sustainable and industry more ecological.
to use innovation to “eliminate waste and
pollution, circulate products and materials (at • Products are not discarded at the disposal stage but
their highest value), and regenerate nature” [1] reused

• Products and materials are kept in use as long as possible

• Products are designed to be easy to maintain and repair.

Make -> Use -> Reuse/Remake/ Recycle As well as redesigned, reduced, reused, resold,
remanufactured, recycled, recovered, and re-circulated.
(8Rs Concept)
Visual summary of the eight VRs and its meaning for the Circular Economy

[2]
Circular Economy VS Linear Economy
 Circular Economy VS Linear Economy
Circular Economy Linear Economy
Model • Make- Use-Reuse/Remake/ Recycle • Take-Make-Use-Dispose
• Closed-loop • Open-ended
Priority Environmental conservation and sustainability Economic goals and consumer demands
Focus • Cradle to cradle • Cradle to grave
• Quality • Quantity
Aims • Circulate materials at disposal stage • Create affordable products/ increase
• Keep products in use as long as possible performance/ be profitable/ etc.
• Maximize production
Waste • Designs out waste • Creates a lot of waste
• Utilizes Sustainable Resource Management • Utilizes Waste Management
Resources • Reuse s resources Extracts new resources
• Minimizes use of virgin resources Depends mainly on virgin resources
 Circular Economy VS Linear Economy cont.
Circular Economy Linear Economy
Product Easy to repair, reuse and recycle Discarded at end of use
Design

Product Considered and aimed to be longest Not considered

Lifespan

Benefits • Conserve resources and environment • Simple model implementation

• Reduce waste • Lower initial costs
• Grows the economy

Draw-backs • Requires change of implementation systems • Creates waste

• Requires collaboration between businesses, • Causes pollution
governments, and consumers • Threatens finite resources
 Why is the industry
shifting towards CE?
CE can help businesses to:
I. Grow the economy, by;
• Reducing costs:
• reducing waste, pollution and the waste management system
requirements that businesses might face.
• Using recycled materials
• Creating new markets for recycled materials.
II. Create new jobs.
• In areas of repair, reuse, and recycling.
III. Conserve resources and the environment
IV. Encourage innovation
V. Enhance brand reputation and improve customer loyalty
THE TOOL: TCP
 What is TCP?
TCP or the Circular Pathway is a methodology developed to
incorporate the principles of CE in real-world projects.

Characteristics:
▪ Developed to analyze and find more sustainable
solutions for manufactured products
▪ Focuses on all the life-cycle stages of the product
▪ Includes value chain stages (material, component,
product, system)
▪ Includes value retention stages: 8Rs (redesign, reduce,
reuse, resell, remanufacture, recycle, recover, re-
circulate)
 What is TCP?
Structure:
▪ A framework of an eight-step hierarchical process (for this module, only the first 3 steps will be performed)
▪ The processes a product undergoes are analyzed with two levels of granularity: system level (3 levels) and stages
(10 stages).

System level Value Chain Use Chain Recovery Chain

No. of Stages 4 2 4

▪ The 3 system levels are: value chain, use chain, and recovery chain.
▪ The 10 stages are: Raw materials, components, product, use 1, product reuse, component reuse, recycling,
recovery, and end of life.
▪ The table shows each level and its stages:

Value Chain Use Chain Recovery Chain

Raw Materials Components Product Use 1 Product Component Recycling Recovery End of
Materials Reuse Reuse life
 How to use TCP? 1. CO-DEFINE

i. First, we identify the product:

Value Chain Use Chain Recovery Chain

Raw Materials Components Product Use 1 Product Component Recycling Recovery End of
Materials Reuse Reuse life
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10
Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20

During all upcoming steps we think in two dimensions:

Material pathway
Process description
A set of questions is provided for each stage in each dimension.
 How to use TCP? 1. CO-DEFINE

Select the aspects applicable to the product

The following table shows an example where the ‘raw materials’ and ‘components’ aspects are excluded
from the assessment.

Value Chain Use Chain Recovery Chain

Raw Materials Components Product Use 1 Product Component Recycling Recovery End of
Materials Reuse Reuse life
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10
Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20
 How to use TCP? 2. Identify

Secondly, work to the left to identify and analyze the production of the product:

❑ The “exploded view of a product”:

✓ components, materials, assembly elements (such as glues and screws), coloring, or performance-enhancing
elements (dyes, flame retardants, coatings, etc.), and packaging (boxes, bags, and tags).

❑ The supply chain description:

✓ the processes that enable the product's manufacturing, from the extraction of raw materials to the production
and assembly of components and products. [1]

Value Chain Use Chain Recovery Chain

Raw Product Component End of

Materials Components Product Use 1 Recycling Recovery
Materials Reuse Reuse life
 How to use TCP?
2. Identify
Thirdly, we zoom in (work to the right) to identify and analyze the life cycle of the product:

❑ The use chain

✓ the processes happening after the product is manufactured and before its end of life. This includes
the purchasing and business model strategies, the length and intensity of use, and any potential re-
use, repair, or resell activities at a product level.

❑ The retrieval chain:

✓ the processes after the use phase of a product, such as breaking down the product into different
components for refurbishment and remanufacturing, and the separation and sorting of materials,
their recycling, and the final destination of the product, components, and materials when no more
value is extracted from them.[1]

Value Chain Use Chain Recovery Chain

Raw Product Component End of

Materials Components Product Use 1 Recycling Recovery
Materials Reuse Reuse life
 How to use TCP?
3. Recognize

Perform the linearity assessment

❑ After answering all applicable questions and in light of our understanding of each aspect, we perform a
linearity assessment for each stage.

❑ This is done by using the given argument that makes this stage the most circular ( AC ) versus the argument
that makes it the most linear (AL ) and giving a score from 1-10.

❑ Scoring: 10 = most circular, 1 = most linear

Value Chain Use Chain Recovery Chain

Raw Materials Components Product Use 1 Product Component Recycling Recovery End
Materials Reuse Reuse of life
10 =
Circular
AC AC AC AC AC AC AC AC AC AC
1=
Linear
AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL
How to use TCP? 3. Recognize

Identify the product’s bottlenecks

Aspects with the lowest scores (most linear, least circular) are identified as the project’s hotspots or bottlenecks. These
are the areas that need improvement.
Linearity Analysis
12

10

0
Raw Component Product Component
Materials Product: Use 1 Recycling Recovery End of life
materials s Reuse Reuse
Score 0 10 0 3 5 3 4 6 7 7
[2]
 [1] Cris Garcia-Saravia Ortiz-de-Montellano, Ali
Ghannadzadeh, and Yvonne van der Meer, The CIRCULAR
pathway: a new educational methodology for exploratory
circular value chain redesign. Faculty of Science and
Engineering, Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased
Materials (AMIBM), Maastricht University, Geleen,
References Netherlands. 2023
Available as of May 7, 2024 from:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2023.
1197659

[2] TCP – datasheet template