Circular economy design for power tools
Milani introduced an interdisciplinary team of a leading global power tools manufacturer to the concept of circular economy design. The objective was to establish a common understanding of circular economy design and to discover potentials for the company's product portfolio.
Identifying circular economy opportunities and consolidate expertise
The circular economy concept offers a number of economic and ecological advantages as well as room for new business models. But companies are often unclear which of the circular design principles have the greatest potential benefits for their products. It was for this reason that the client asked Milani to lead an introductory and exploration workshop in order to consolidate internal knowledge and identify possible opportunities. The goal was to involve an interdisciplinary team from different areas, such as development, product Management, Purchasing, Production and Marketing, who all had very different levels of prior knowledge.
Hotspot mapping: a method for identifying circular design opportunities
The starting point for the workshop was a preliminary analysis of two best-selling products in the company’s global product portfolio. Using hotspot mapping, Milani analyzed the products to determine key circular variables, such as how repairable the tools are and how easy it is to dismantle particularly valuable components.
Product design for a circular economy
Based on the hotspot mapping findings, Milani worked with the interdisciplinary team to develop new approaches for reimagining the products based on ecodesign and circular design principles. These approaches were evaluated according to various criteria, including economic viability and how easily they could be implemented in product development.
Together with the team, Milani identified measures for optimizing the repairability of the power tools and for making it easier to recover valuable resources at the end of a product’s life cycle.
Milani services
- Workshop provision
- Circular economy product design & eco design
- Circular economy analysis of existing products via hotspot mapping
- Circular economy design recommendations
Lead Sustainability, Member of the Management Board
welcome@milani.ch
+41 44 914 74 74