IE Seminar – Closing the loop through circularity

IE gathered experts to deliberate on the topic of closing the loop through circularity. It highlighted the need and impact that circular economy will create on businesses.

Listen to this article

Redefining Manufacturing in Industries

– Dr Farazee Asif, Asst Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

In our research spanning over 15 years, we’ve delved into Circular Manufacturing Systems, closely tied to the concept of circular economy. Essentially, our team’s focus is to aid manufacturing industries in their transition towards circular practices.

Recycling results in loss of embedded value…
Traditionally, industrial practices operated under the assumption of infinite resources and unrestricted disposal. However, with the alarming depletion of resources and escalating climate change impacts, we’ve reached a critical juncture. Recycling has been a common strategy employed by manufacturers. While it has merits, it falls short in terms of resource conservation too. For instance, when recycling a product, we often lose a significant portion of its embedded value, which includes labour, energy and other resources invested during manufacturing and logistics. Moreover, the process of recycling requires additional resources.

Maximising value…
In contrast, our concept of circular manufacturing emphasises a more comprehensive approach. When a product reaches its end-of-life, we advocate for returning it to its place of origin for potential reuse and remanufacturing before resorting to recycling. This approach enables the recovery of more value, leading to reduced resource input and waste output.

The need for remanufacturing
Within the circular economy discourse, various “Rs” are discussed, ranging from refuse to consume to recover value. We advocate for remanufacturing as it strikes a balance between customer acceptance and technical quality. Remanufacturing ensures that products retain their quality in their second life, addressing concerns regarding the use of secondhand or inferior products.

Fostering sustainable practices
Implementing such a system requires a well-planned approach, encompassing value proposition models, product design and supply chain management, supported by information and communication technology. We’ve applied this framework in our EU-funded project “RECIPPS.”

To ensure the success, we emphasise the intentional design of products for reuse, remanufacturing and recycling from the outset. Scaling up implementation to industrial levels across a wide range of products is crucial for realising its benefits. Additionally, maintaining a balance between economic viability and environmental sustainability is paramount.

Our project, “RECIPPS,” received recognition as a success story by the European Commission, highlighting its significance in advancing sustainable industrial practices. This comprehensive approach underscores our commitment to redefining sustainability in the manufacturing industry through Circular Manufacturing Systems.

Latest

Industrial Economist – End of an Epoch

Industrial Economist was founded with a vision to not...

India will be $ 55 trillion economy by 2047 – Krishnamurthy Subramanian, former CEA

Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund...

Swelect to invest Rs 500 crore for expansion and cell manufacturing

This will allow the company to cater on a...

A survey of startups in Tamil Nadu

“In the past five months, we’ve actively helped startups...

Newsletter

Don't miss

Industrial Economist – End of an Epoch

Industrial Economist was founded with a vision to not...

India will be $ 55 trillion economy by 2047 – Krishnamurthy Subramanian, former CEA

Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund...

Swelect to invest Rs 500 crore for expansion and cell manufacturing

This will allow the company to cater on a...

A survey of startups in Tamil Nadu

“In the past five months, we’ve actively helped startups...

Super Auto Forge: Crafting Precision for 50 years…

A Golden Forge For the fiscal year, SAF registered a...

Industrial Economist – End of an Epoch

Industrial Economist was founded with a vision to not only report on the economic landscape but also to contribute meaningfully to the discourse shaping...

India will be $ 55 trillion economy by 2047 – Krishnamurthy Subramanian, former CEA

Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund and the former Chief Economic Advisor, GoI, launched his book India@100: Envisioning tomorrow’s economic power...

Swelect to invest Rs 500 crore for expansion and cell manufacturing

This will allow the company to cater on a global scale as also facilitate backward integration in the value chain. The expansion is expected...