A Multi-Criteria Evaluation Method of Product-Level Circularity Strategies

Yohannes A. Alamerew, Marianna Lena Kambanou, Tomohiko Sakao and Daniel Brissaud
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Yohannes A. Alamerew: Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, G-SCOP, 38000 Grenoble, France
Marianna Lena Kambanou: Division of Environmental Technology and Management, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Tomohiko Sakao: Division of Environmental Technology and Management, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Daniel Brissaud: Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, G-SCOP, 38000 Grenoble, France

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: The circular economy (CE) can drive sustainability. For companies to select and implement circularity strategies, they need to evaluate and compare the performance of these strategies both in terms of progress towards CE but also based on their feasibility and business outcomes. However, evaluation methods for circularity strategies at the product level are lacking. Therefore, this research proposes a multi-criteria evaluation method of circularity strategies at the product level which can be used by business decision-makers to evaluate and compare the initial business of the company, transformative and future circularity strategies. This multi-criteria evaluation method aims to assist business decision-makers to identify a preferred strategy by linking together a wide variety of criteria, i.e., environmental, economic, social, legislative, technical, and business, as well as by proposing relevant indicators that take into consideration, where possible, the life cycle perspective. It also allows for flexibility so that criteria, sub-criteria, and weighing factors can be altered by the business decision-makers to fit the needs of their specific case or product. Two illustrative examples based on case companies are presented to verify and illustrate the proposed method.

Keywords: circularity strategies; multi-criteria assessment; multi-criteria decision analysis; end-of-life strategies; circular economy; remanufacturing; resource efficiency; circularity indicators; sustainability; refurbish; repair (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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