Smart Sustainable Disassembly Systems for Circular Economy

Marina Crnjac Žižić (), Amanda Aljinović Meštrović, Marko Mladineo and Nikola Gjeldum
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Marina Crnjac Žižić: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, R. Boskovica 32, 21000 Split, Croatia
Amanda Aljinović Meštrović: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, R. Boskovica 32, 21000 Split, Croatia
Marko Mladineo: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, R. Boskovica 32, 21000 Split, Croatia
Nikola Gjeldum: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, R. Boskovica 32, 21000 Split, Croatia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-18

Abstract: Today’s economic systems are characterized by overproduction, rapid changes in consumer preferences and the intensive exploitation of natural resources. For this reason, the idea of the circular economy has emerged in recent years as a key strategy for tackling environmental, social and resource problems. At the same time, manufacturers are increasingly trying to fulfill customer requirements, so that products are becoming ever more personalized. This increasing focus on individuality is leading to greater variability in design, while at the same time the complexity of product structures and components is increasing, which poses major challenges for production and assembly processes. Understanding this complexity helps in finding the most effective ways for the disassembly process to enable reuse, repair and high-quality recycling, which are among the key principles of the circular economy. This not only supports environmental and resource sustainability, but also contributes to long-term competitiveness and climate neutrality in manufacturing. This paper outlines how complexity is defined and how this parameter can be used to obtain an optimal solution for minimizing product complexity and maximizing the number of disassembled parts. This problem was modeled using linear programming, where the optimal disassembly sequence was defined taking into account variables and constraints such as the time available within a working day and the complexity of the sub-assemblies. The results showed that the process can be significantly optimized if clear variables and targets are defined.

Keywords: disassembly; complexity; circular economy; sustainability; Industry 5.0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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