Current production and consumption patterns of materials, products, and services in a linear economy follow the operational process of a ‘take–make–dispose of,’ economy, which causes widespread inefficiencies in the value chain over the entire lifecycle: starting from resource extraction and product design to End-of-Life disposal. Profitability is the primary focus of a linear economy which puts increased pressure on finite resources, and environmental and social sustainability. Furthermore, two critical problems arise from the linear production and consumption practices: (1) limited scope for resource recovery due to product design which only considers a single use-cycle and (2) non-regenerative activities within our ecosystem which slowly deplete our natural resources. As natural resources and the Earth's capacity to absorb waste are limited, it is important to reduce dependence on natural resources by decoupling production growth from consumption. In the long term, resources are finite, which means that we will not be able to 'take' as much as we want or need. On the other hand, the Earth's capacity to dissipate waste is also finite, which means that we will not be able to "throw it away" as we want or need to.
So, one side of the challenge is closing material loops, and the other side is eliminating waste. Although closing material loops means a continuous effort in the manufacturing environment. In a traditional manufacturing company, this effort is limited to the manufacturing processes to minimise costs and waste. Manufactured products often carry a significant amount of remaining functional life at end-of-use/end-of-life (EoU/EoL) and manufacturers typically do not address their conservation or recovery. Research and industrial practices, such as remanufacturing, have shown that there is huge economic and environmental potential for recovering the value of products in their EoU/EoL state. The focus of the subtopic Circular manufacturing (CM, hereafter) is on the potential to introduce circular production systems in which profitability and environmental sustainability can be maintained simultaneously without compromise. Despite the proven economic and environmental benefits, successful examples of circular systems are still few and far between. Systems thinking and systematic approaches to managing industries are important, as are analytical methods and tools that can be used to assess different aspects of circular production systems.
The main aspects will be on the adaptation to industrial implementation of the methods and conceptual frameworks that are essential for the implementation of circular manufacturing systems. It is estimated that the adaptation of the CM approach can yield material cost savings of hundreds of billions of dollars per year for the EU and can result in huge environmental benefits. To tap this potential, the manufacturing industry needs to take a circular approach, where the products are designed intentionally to be used for multiple lifecycles. Since 2009, the Ecodesign Directive has aimed to enhance the security of supply and contribute to sustainable development by establishing a framework for setting ecodesign requirements for energy-related products (ErPs, i.e. products that use or have an indirect impact on energy consumption). The majority of the implementing measures set out so far under the Ecodesign Directive regulate energy efficiency at the use phase, but as the energy efficiency of ErPs is considered with the implementation of this policy, the environmental impacts associated with other stages of the environmental life cycle have become relatively more significant. CM is a core mechanism for realizing a circular economy. To design an effective CM system, it is necessary to evaluate different life cycle scenarios in terms of their economic and environmental performance. The researchers will focus on life cycle scenarios which represent how products, modules, parts, and materials (collectively called items hereafter) are circulated employing life cycle options, which are methods (such as reuse and recycling) to reduce resource consumption and environmental load.
Another research topic is the life cycle management of components machined in mass production and the use of sustainable and renewable raw materials; consumer awareness; and the design, use, and manufacturing of sustainable, recyclable, reusable, and repairable products, components, and materials. The emergence of new advanced manufacturing technologies creates opportunities for changing how manufacturing activities are organised. Alongside important advances in innovation processes, technologies may affect the distribution of manufacturing and the subsequent flow of materials and goods with many potential sustainability benefits. One such advanced technology is 3D printing (also known in the industry as additive manufacturing). Industrial applications of 3D printing are enabling more circular production systems with the use of recycled and reclaimed materials as input. We shall focus simultaneously on the implementation of recycling, repairing and the use of bio-based materials. In the CM our area is a system of production and consumption which aims to maximize efficient use of resources and waste through closed-loop, regenerative and shared approaches, and at the same time, avoids unnecessary consumption of natural resources and the optimization of processes and exchange of technologies—consequently, reduction of costs”. Recycling predominately focuses on the technical cycle, which supplies (recycled) materials to the parts manufacturers. Recycling is one of the critical paths of CM and directly connects with a group of researchers, such as waste collection, parts manufacturers, and users. A group of research interests is related to the design of recycling-related logistics solutions from sustainability, automated material handling and Industry 4.0 technology aspects. The reuse of materials and components built into machining industrial products is a topic of interest.
Contribution to SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy and to SDG 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure.