Manufacturing remains critical for societal wellbeing in many regions but also contributes substantially to environmental degradation and climate change. Circular economy strategies intended to tackle this challenge have so far mainly delivered efficiency gains and have failed to achieve the absolute decoupling of economic growth from resource use. This paper argues that the prevailing growth paradigm and an overly narrow focus on economic metrics hinder a holistic transformation toward sustainable industrial development. It proposes reframing the purpose of manufacturing by shifting from viewing wellbeing as a byproduct to establishing it as the core goal, guided by sufficiency principles. Such a reorientation could enable manufacturing within planetary boundaries while safeguarding social wellbeing. The paper outlines a research agenda for operationalizing wellbeing in manufacturing strategy, design, and policy, and explores implications for competitiveness, stakeholder ecosystems, and societal resilience.

Despite the widely recognized potential of product-as-a-service (PaaS) business models to contribute to the circular economy, many industrial case studies have reported that several systemic factors tend to hinder product manufacturers from effectively designing such solutions. More specifically, factors such as linear value chains, organizational structures, and market and financial conditions tend to restrict the freedom of product manufacturers to design circular PaaS solutions effectively. In this article, we take a novel approach to advance the body of knowledge concerning the interactions between policies and circular PaaS designing. We first explore the potential of the existing policy landscape to support designing for a circular economy in the manufacturing industry. The results suggest that the existing policy landscape is primarily focused on regulating product design outcomes and is thus deemed unsuitable for supporting circular PaaS designing. Subsequently, we investigate the literature to uncover how internal and external systemic factors may hinder the implementation of the key facets of circular PaaS designing in the manufacturing industry. Based on these findings, we propose a prospective policy framework that includes a mix of complementary policy interventions that systemically target the identified internal and external factors to support the implementation of the key facets of circular PaaS designing.

Europeiska unionen (EU) har identifierat textilier som en av de sju nyckelproduktsvärdekedjor som behöver ökad cirkularitet. Syftet med detta projekt har varit att ur ett miljömässigt, ekonomiskt, juridiskt och leverantörs- och kundperspektiv undersöka potentiella cirkulära affärsmodeller för arbetskläder, samt resulterande förändringar av deras design. Fokus har varit på arbetskläder för små och medelstora företag (SME) inom bygg- och anläggningsbranschen. Undersökningen inkluderar användbarheten av olika design- och affärsmodellsförändringar som kan påverka resursförbrukningen och därmed bidra till en mer cirkulär ekonomi.

Ett nyckelresultat baserat på LCA är att alla undersökta förändringar, jämfört med en linjär modell, sannolikt kommer att leda till minskad miljöpåverkan för alla undersökta miljöeffektkategorier. Dessutom identifierades inga större juridiska hinder, även om vissa affärsmodeller kräver noggrann avtalsformulering. Flera förändringar leder dock inte till "bra affärer", antingen på grund av bristande acceptans hos användarna eller på grund av att de inte är ekonomiskt bärkraftiga.

Att designa och erbjuda arbetskläder med lång livslängd är en affärsmodell som många företag framgångsrikt implementerar. De flesta påstår att deras produkter är hållbara utan standardiserat sätt mäta.

En undersökt designförändring som vunnit accepts på marknaden och som erbjuds av projektpartnerföretaget CIRK-L är de avtagbara verktygsfickorna som möjliggör tätare och enklare tvätt och därmed längre livslängd för arbetskläder.

Tvättjänster och allt-i-ett-avtal som också möjliggör effektivare och frekventare tvätt accepteras dock inte i samma utsträckning. De visar sig vara logistiskt svåra att implementera, främst på grund av att arbetare frekvent byter arbetsplatser. De ansågs också vara för dyra för detta kundsegment, även om de framgångsrikt har tillämpats på andra segment inom industrin för arbetskläder. En anledning är att användaren för närvarande står för kostnaderna för transport och tvätt, medan dessa kontrakt skulle flytta denna kostnad till arbetsgivaren. Flera positiva värdeaspekter hittades med dessa undersökta affärsmodeller men inte tillräckligt för att uppväga kostnaderna och de praktiska utmaningarna.

Reparationstjänster baserade på reservdelar som kan bytas ut av användaren, såsom de av partnerföretaget CIRK-L erbjudna avtagbara underbenen på arbetsbyxor, förväntas vara ekonomiskt lönsamma. Då arbetskläder är relativt billiga är reparationer som involverar skräddare endast marginellt billigare än att köpa nytt då arbets- och fraktkostnader är dyra. Det innebär att kunden föredrar att köpa nytt. Flera åtgärder kan dock vidtas för att 6 förbättra situationen genom att adressera beteendeproblem kopplade till reparationer, vilket gör leveranskedjorna mer effektiva. Det finns även behov av att förbättra stödsystemen som möjliggör reparationer, t ex it- och distributionslösningar. Vissa initiala pilotprojekt och mindre satsningar som rör återanvändning eller användning för nya ändamål har identifierats men dessa kräver mer forskning.

Avslutningsvis, konsumtionsmönster för arbetskläder har också identifierats och det finns vissa tecken på överkonsumtion som bör studeras noggrannare.

The European Union (EU) has identified textiles as one of the seven key product valuechains that require increased circularity. This report aims to examine potential circularbusiness models and changes to the design of products and services in the workwearindustry from a holistic perspective, including environmental, economic, legal, and providerand customer perspectives. The focus has been on workwear for small and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs) in the construction and building sectors. In this study, the potential toimplement various design and business model interventions, which could affect resourceconsumption and thus contribute to a more circular economy, were explored.

A key finding is that all the explored interventions, based on LCA findings, are likely toreduce environmental impacts in all examined impact categories compared to a linearmodel. Moreover, no significant legal barriers were identified, although some businessmodels require careful contract drafting. However, several interventions do not lead to“good business” either due to a lack of acceptance by the users or because they are noteconomically viable.

Designing and offering workwear with a long lifespan is a business model that manycompanies are successfully implementing. Most claim that their products are long-lastingwithout a standardized way to measure.

One examined design change that has gained market acceptance and is offered by theproject partner company CIRK-L is the detachable tool pockets, which allow for morefrequent and straightforward washing and thus longer lifespan for workwear.

However, laundry services and all-in-one contracts that also enable more efficient andfrequent washing, are not as well accepted. They prove to be logistically challenging toimplement, mainly because workers frequently change workplaces. They were alsoconsidered too expensive for this customer segment, despite having been successfullyapplied to other segments within the workwear industry. One reason is that the usercurrently bears the costs of transport to the washing facility and washing, while thesecontracts would shift this cost to the employer. Several positive value aspects were foundwith these examined business models, but not enough to outweigh the costs and practicalchallenges.

Repair services based on spare parts that can be replaced by the user, such as the detachablelower legs on work trousers offered by the partner company CIRK-L, are expected to beeconomically viable. As workwear is relatively cheap, repairs involving tailors are onlymarginally more affordable than buying new because labour and shipping costs arerelatively high. This means that the customer prefers to buy new. However, several measures can be taken to improve the situation by addressing behavioural issues related torepairs, making the repair supply chains more efficient. There is also a need to improvesupport systems that enable repairs, e.g., IT and distribution solutions. Some initial pilotprojects and small ventures related to upcycling or repurposing have also been identified,but these require further research.

Finally, consumption patterns for workwear have also been identified, and some signs ofoverconsumption should be studied more closely.

This article aims to contribute to the knowledge on product/service system (PSS) design practice as follows. First, a new rationale for why PSS design in practice often does not exploit its full potential is given based on a theory on inseparability of services. Second, a representation of the dependencies between product design parameters (DPs) and service DPs in a form of potential-dependency knowledge base is proposed as a remedy.Third, reusability of the knowledge captured from product-service integration across sectorial borders is shown with PSS design at a complex product manufacturer.

Products and services are mutually dependant throughout the lifecycle, and the interdependencies present potential for exploitation to decrease the environmental impacts. However, effective yet practical support to realize this potential in industry is insufficient. This paper presents a procedure with a knowledge base that help uncover important latent interdependencies, partly implemented as an Excel-based tool, concretizing systemic lifecycle engineering. The procedure has been validated with an elevator and the related services for wind turbines, in collaboration with a manufacturer in Europe, showing potential environmental improvements quantitatively. Also, the importance of maintenance in renewable energy systems is discussed.

Remanufacturing is a crucial component for our societies to move toward a circular economy. Compared with new manufacturing, the distinctive nature of remanufacturing is found to have high variability, high uncertainty and, thereby, complexity. Therefore, remanufacturers need to be able to adapt to the complexity and to flexibly adjust their processes. Especially, the ability to remanufacturing process planning and control is important. However, few practical methods supporting that are available so far. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a method for designing teams and processes in remanufacturing based on the concept of loosely coupled systems. In the proposed method, design structure matrix (DSM) is applied to identify loosely coupled sub-systems that enable to localize impacts of changes within themselves. These sub-systems are also regarded as cross-functional teams that reduce coordination efforts among line departments and, therefore, increase the adaptability against uncertainties. As a preliminary validation, the proposed method was applied to a real case of remanufacturing, and then found to be effective for creating teams and processes for remanufacturing process planning and control depending on given uncertainties.

Remanufacturing is a crucial component for our societies tomove toward a circular economy. Compared to newmanufacturing, the distinctive nature of remanufacturing isfound to have high variability, high uncertainty and, thereby,complexity. Therefore, remanufacturers need to enhance theirability to adjust their systems flexibly. Especially, the ability toreconfigure the production planning and control is crucial forreacting to the high variability and uncertainty. However, fewpractical methods to do that are available so far. Therefore, tosolve this problem, this paper aims to propose a method fordesigning processes of production planning and control inremanufacturing based on the concept of loosely coupledsystems. In the proposed method, Design Structure Matrix(DSM) is applied to identify loosely coupled subsystems thatenable to localize impacts of changes within themselves. Thesesubsystems are also utilized to appropriately determine leveragepoints, as well as allocate human resource. Through theapplication to a real case of remanufacturing, the proposedmethod was found to be effective for reconfiguring teams andprocesses for production planning and control depending ongiven uncertainties, as well as performing production planningand control activities efficiently.

Although the transition from product seller to product-service system (PSS) provider implies fundamental changes in both value creation for customers and value capture by the provider, prior research has largely focused on the investigation and enhancement of customer value through PSSs. In contrast, a discussion of the changes in how providers attain value and support to enhance this in industrial practice is lacking at this time. This article presents a systematic, empirically-based approach to analyze and enhance PSS providers’ value capture throughout the lifecycle. This is achieved by two methods provider value analysis (PVA) facilitates a structured assessment of the value capture during the provision of PSSs in the use phase of the lifecycle, while provider value evaluation (ProVa) operationalizes the results of this analysis in the design phase to facilitate an improved value capture in the coming iteration. As the approach was developed in close collaboration with a large-scale PSS provider, the article further reports the results of its application in a case study spanning two years. As a result of using PVA, value dimensions of broad relevance for PSS providers are presented, supported by findings of applying the method at an additional PSS provider. Through the approach presented and case study results attained, the article points out how the design and management of a PSS, focusing on the provider’s value and available benefits throughout the lifecycle, can be enhanced in industry, while extending the academic body of knowledge on the value capture of PSS providers and its implications for PSS design and provision.

The world manufacturing companies operate in is changing. In the past, these companies relied on the design and sale of products. Today, this linear model of business is becoming increasingly insufficient. As customers are more and more focused on their core business, buying and operating machinery and other goods becomes unattractive to them. In response to this, manufacturing companies are expanding their value capture into additional stages of the product lifecycle by providing integrated offerings of products and services — Product-Service Systems (PSSs).

Designing and providing PSSs is fundamentally different from traditional product sales. Expanding to become a PSS provider is, therefore, challenging for companies with a history of designing and selling products. Departing from this, it is the aim of this thesis to support manufacturing companies in their expansion to effective and efficient design and provision of PSSs. The research reported has both descriptive and prescriptive properties, reflecting the goals of understanding the status quo in manufacturing companies’ practice and providing support based on this.

To establish a point of departure, the current design and provision of two manufacturing companies expanding their business towards PSSs was investigated. From this, an in-depth understanding of the status quo and a number of challenges emerged.

Based on this, the research had the goal to contribute to identifying and developing solutions to these challenges, with an initial focus on methods supporting PSS design and provision. However, although methods fitting to the challenges identified exist, they appear to receive limited uptake in manufacturing companies’ practice. In order to improve their practical utility, a structured method is proposed to assist users in both academia and practice in developing methods in a requirements-oriented fashion. The utility of methods in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of PSS design and provision is thereby to be enhanced.

A particular challenge for manufacturing companies expanding to become PSS providers is the change in how value is captured: Resulting from the extensive involvement throughout the lifecycle, a need for a broader, multidimensional understanding of value capture was identified. However, the manufacturing companies investigated have been found to experience challenges in grasping this change, with a focus on a product sales-centric understanding of value capture remaining prevalent. To support companies towards reaping the benefits of the expansion to PSS design and provision, methods to explore how value is currently created and captured in the use phase and how to enhance the future value capture based on that information in the design phase have been developed and applied. As a result, broadly relevant value dimensions were attained, aiming to facilitate a lifecycle-focused, effective, and efficient design and provision of PSSs.

Eventually, to broaden the understanding of effective and efficient design and provision of PSSs in practice today, the potential contributions of real-world PSSs to a circular economy were investigated based on an existing framework. The result was ambiguous, indicating both advancements compared to traditional sales and substantial room for improvement, particularly with a focus on the absolute decoupling of economic activity and resource use.

Based on the synthesis of the research results, manufacturing companies are supported in their expansion to effective and efficient design and provision of PSSs — and towards a promising future.

While the provision of PSS is becoming more and more common, the transition toward a servitized business model is still critical. This is particularly true for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to their limited internal resources and ability to define a servitization strategy. A crucial aspect during this transition is the identification of the right solutions to be implemented into the business that must render high value capture for providers and create value for customers. While a literature review showed that a large number of evaluation methods are available, these are often complex and require substantial amounts of resources in order to be carried out. This paper aims at supporting companies in taking decisions during early design phases by proposing a method that combines two existing approaches: The EVA method and the ProVa method. The combined method simplifies the existing ones while aiming at an easy implementation and application in SMEs. It is composed of two steps, the first pursuing the identification of valuable concepts from both the customer and the provider perspective; the second pursuing an individual analysis of the components available for use in the concepts selected. The application of the simplified method in a student-case of a startup company seeking to enter the distributed mobility market highlights the ease of use of the method in rendering valuable PSS concepts and in evaluating its specific components.