Rethinking product design: The Case for circular reinvention

As businesses across Europe face increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices, one thing is becoming clear: the traditional, linear approach to product design in a ‘take, make, waste’ model is no longer fit for purpose. Designing products to be used once, discarded and replaced has led us to a world where waste piles up, natural resources dwindle and regulatory pressure mounts. Humanity is using nature 1.8x faster than our planet's biocapacity can regenerate. We need to reinvent for circularity, and fast.

 However, circularity can’t be seen as just an environmental imperative; it’s a business opportunity. With sustainability taking center stage on the agendas of regulators, consumers and investors alike, companies that innovate toward circularity can differentiate themselves, build brand loyalty and create new revenue streams. Embracing circularity in product design is critical to the circular economy—the mind shift to a model that prioritizes useful life extension, reuse, recycling and refurbishment allows businesses to unlock long-term value while reducing their ecological footprint. 

Take electronics as an example: Global E-waste Monitor found that a record 62 billion kg of e-waste was generated in 2022, an average of 7.8 kg per capita. Of this only 22% was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner, leaving US$ 62 billion worth of recoverable natural resources unaccounted for and increasing pollution risks to communities worldwide.

These discarded devices contain valuable materials that could be recovered, reused and repurposed if products were designed with modularity and repairability in mind. Yet, today’s design standards often prioritize short product life cycles, fashion and sometimes superficial differentiation as well direct production cost to over circularity. This must change if we want to transform the way industries operate and if we are to align with the European Union’s ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan.

Shifting to circular design

Moving to a circular approach requires a fundamental shift in how we think about products, materials and value chains.

1. Design and disassembly: Engineering for the circular lifecycle

Traditional product design has long prioritized cost-efficiency and ease of assembly. However, circular design demands a new approach—one that makes products easy to disassemble, repair, and upgrade over time. For example, in consumer electronics, a modular approach allows components such as screens, batteries, and sensors to be replaced or repaired individually, without discarding the entire product. Instead of adhesives or custom fasteners, circular design advocates for standardized parts that simplify repair and reuse, drastically extending product lifespan.

This approach is also being applied in industries like automotive and manufacturing, where products are now engineered with circularity in mind. Selecting durable, recyclable materials that retain quality after repair ensures that components can be reused or refurbished multiple times. In textiles, for instance, designers are opting for single-material fabrics, simplifying recycling by avoiding mixed fibers that complicate reuse and disposal processes.

2. Supply Chain reinvention: Creating circular loops for lasting impact

While traditional supply chains move materials from extraction to end-product in a straight line, circular supply chains aim to keep resources in continuous use, prioritizing recycled and reclaimed materials over virgin inputs. Circularity implies adding a few steps in the value chain including working closely with downstream players and selling recovered materials to connected industries. In the automotive sector, for example, supply chains are adapting to recover valuable metals from products at the end of their lifecycle, like lithium and cobalt from vehicle batteries, which can be reused in new batteries or other applications, reducing reliance on new resource extraction.

Circular supply chains also offer companies greater resilience. By reclaiming and remanufacturing materials, businesses can reduce their vulnerability to raw material cost fluctuations and supply interruptions. In textiles, some manufacturers are leading the way by incorporating recycled fabrics and fibers, blending them with existing resources to reduce demand for newly produced materials. This process not only cuts costs but also shields supply chains from potential market volatility, ensuring continuity and sustainability even as demand grows. Moreover, recycling technology innovation will also play an important role in promoting resource efficiency.

3. Shifting consumer mindsets: Redefining customer relationships through circular value

The traditional consumer model often encourages frequent replacement with little thought to what happens to products when they’re no longer needed. This ‘newest is best’ mindset leads to single-use consumption and a quick end to the customer relationship. Circular models, however, open the possibility for extended engagement by introducing value through reuse, repair, and resale options.

Some electronics brands are now adopting buy-back programs, allowing customers to trade in their older devices for credits or discounts. This model encourages consumers to return items at the end of their use, creating a stream of components that can be refurbished or recycled. In the home goods and furniture industries, repair and buy-back services are growing, creating a second life for products and a circular system that keeps valuable materials in use.

To make circularity attractive to mainstream consumers, businesses are working to integrate sustainable practices into their products while maintaining the convenience and quality customers expect. In the apparel industry, brands are offering repair and resale platforms where customers can prolong the life of their products, reducing waste while building a loyal customer base that values sustainability.

4.     The role of technology in enabling the circular shift

The transition to circularity is not solely about design; it’s also about using technology to make it feasible and profitable.  Use of digital twins, AI and lifecycle analytics, are instrumental in this shift. These technologies allow companies to simulate product use, maintenance and end-of-life scenarios long before manufacturing begins, enabling them to optimize for durability, recyclability and resource efficiency.  For instance, digital twins can model the entire lifecycle of a product, providing insights on how to disassemble components efficiently and reuse materials effectively. Such tools are critical in moving the needle on circularity, transforming theoretical concepts into actionable strategies that reduce waste and drive business value.

At Accenture, we are witnessing a growing number of forward-thinking companies that are embracing circularity as a strategic advantage. By using circular practices, these businesses are not only reducing risk but also taking advantage of new market opportunities. These include subscription-based business models and take-back schemes that build customer loyalty over time.

We are also proud to lead efforts that make circular design accessible and actionable. As part of this commitment, we collaborated with the Circular Electronics Partnership (CEP) and the Circular Design Forum (CDF) to create the Circular Electronics Design Guide.  Launched just last week, this guide serves as a roadmap for decision-makers across electronic value chains, equipping them with the insights and best practices needed to embed circularity into their product design and production processes.

The guide addresses the unique challenges faced by the electronics industry—from complex supply chains to rapid product cycles—and provides practical solutions for creating products that are repairable, upgradable and recyclable. By working together, we aim to help companies accelerate their circular transitions, demonstrating that circularity isn’t just a distant goal, but a feasible and essential approach to sustainable business.

Building a circular future: The time to act is now

Circularity in product design is more than just a trend. With a circular economy, we can fulfill people’s needs with just 70% of the materials we currently use—within the safe limits of the planet. This means limiting global temperature rise and improving biodiversity.

Businesses that embrace this shift will not only comply with evolving regulations but will also lead the way in creating sustainable value for their customers, investors and society at large. The European market is poised for transformation, and those who move first will have the advantage.