The approach of transforming the established linear flow of goods from raw material extraction through the production and use phase of a product to its final disposal into a closed loop is not new. However, circular products made from secondary raw materials, i.e. recycled materials, reprocessed or reused parts, are still unattractive to many companies today for cost reasons and thus of little relevance.
The strategic anchoring of secondary raw material quotas in product development, among other things, or the tightening of regulations lead our customers to ask how closed cycles can be designed for their products. The aim is, for example, to consolidate components made of valuable or supply-critical raw materials by means of appropriate reverse logistics, to feed them into the respective recycling processes, and to make the raw materials recovered in the process available again for the production of new parts.
In doing so, we can build on our expertise from past projects around the RE:USE, RE:MAN (remanufacturing) and RE:CYCLE strategies of complex products, where similar issues played a role again and again. In this context, remanufacturing and reuse, and thus a possible further product life, are always preferable to recycling as the last option.
In concrete terms, our tasks in such projects include the development of business and process models, the search for potential suppliers and partners, the creation of corresponding specifications and the selection of suitable products that are not only circular but also economical wherever possible.
