Short answer

Prioritize the development and implementation of IoT solutions that support the full lifecycle of a product, including its end-of-life phases and design for disassembly and remanufacturing, rather than solely focusing on in-use optimization.

Field: Sustainability
Source: Sustainability (2019)
Method: Framework development and case study analysis.
Sample: 40 cases
Evidence: Moderate effect

While the Internet of Things (IoT) offers significant potential to enable circular economy strategies, current practical implementations are heavily skewed towards improving product efficiency and extending lifespan, with limited adoption for product reuse, remanufacturing, or data-driven circular design. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2019 study published in Sustainability. Using Framework development and case study analysis. with 40 cases, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Prioritize the development and implementation of IoT solutions that support the full lifecycle of a product, including its end-of-life phases and design for disassembly and remanufacturing, rather than solely focusing on in-use optimization.

Study

SustainabilityHigh ImpactModerate effect

IoT adoption for circularity lags behind potential, focusing on efficiency over reuse and remanufacturing.

Sustainability · 2019

Key Findings

01Current IoT implementations for circular strategies primarily support 'efficiency in use' and 'product lifetime extension'.
02There is limited adoption of IoT for 'circular looping' strategies such as reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling.
03Few cases demonstrate 'design evolution' where data from products in use informs circular design improvements.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When designing products or services intended for a circular economy, actively consider how IoT can support not only efficient operation but also strategies for reuse, remanufacturing, and informed design evolution.

Project actions

01When researching a product, investigate if IoT features are used to support its end-of-life or refurbishment.
02Consider how data from IoT devices could inform a redesign for greater circularity.

Method & Evidence

AimTo understand how companies are currently implementing IoT for circular strategies and to compare these practices against the full spectrum of opportunities described in academic literature.

MethodFramework development and case study analysis.

ProcedureA framework categorizing IoT-enabled circular strategies (tracking, monitoring, control, optimization, design evolution) and circular in-use (efficiency, utilization, lifetime extension) and looping strategies (reuse, remanufacturing, recycling) was developed. Forty practical cases were then analyzed and mapped against this framework to identify current implementation patterns.

Sample40 cases

ContextCircular economy business models and Internet of Things (IoT) implementation.

Variables

IV["Implementation of IoT for circular strategies"]

DV["Type of circular strategy supported (efficiency, lifetime extension, reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, design evolution)"]

CV["Industry sector","Company size","Maturity of IoT adoption"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Develops a comprehensive framework for analyzing IoT-enabled circular strategies.
+Analyzes a significant number of real-world cases to provide practical insights.

Limitations

The availability of public data on IoT implementations for circularity can be limited, making comprehensive analysis challenging.

Reliability & validity

The framework provides a structured approach to categorization, enhancing reliability. Validity is supported by mapping real-world cases, though the selection and reporting of these cases may introduce bias.

Think critically

Given the current focus on efficiency, what are the primary barriers preventing wider adoption of IoT for reuse, remanufacturing, and design evolution in the circular economy?

Design Principles

"Leverage IoT to enable closed-loop systems and data-driven design for circularity."

This insight highlights a critical gap between the theoretical possibilities of IoT in fostering circularity and its actual deployment. Designers and engineers need to understand this disparity to strategically leverage IoT not just for incremental efficiency gains, but for more transformative circular business models that involve product recovery and closed-loop systems.

What This Means for Your Design

Companies are using smart technology (IoT) to make things last longer and work better, but they aren't using it as much to help bring products back, fix them up, or recycle them, or to learn from how products are used to make them better for the environment from the start.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study to justify the importance of designing for reuse and remanufacturing, and how IoT can play a role beyond simple efficiency.

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Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

Research indicates that while IoT offers significant potential for circular economy strategies, current practical implementations predominantly focus on improving product efficiency and extending lifespan. There is a notable underutilization of IoT for enabling product reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling, as well as for feeding data back into the design process for enhanced circularity. This suggests a design opportunity to develop IoT-enabled solutions that support the full product lifecycle, including end-of-life recovery and closed-loop systems.

Source

Sustainability

Circular Strategies Enabled by the Internet of Things—A Framework and Analysis of Current Practice

journal · 2019

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about iot adoption for circularity lags behind potential, focusing on efficiency over reuse and remanufacturing?: Prioritize the development and implementation of IoT solutions that support the full lifecycle of a product, including its end-of-life phases and design for disassembly and remanufacturing, rather than solely focusing on in-use optimization. Evidence: Sustainability (2019).
Why does "IoT adoption for circularity lags behind potential, focusing on efficiency over reuse and remanufacturing." matter for design?: This insight highlights a critical gap between the theoretical possibilities of IoT in fostering circularity and its actual deployment. Designers and engineers need to understand this disparity to strategically leverage IoT not just for incremental efficiency gains, but for more transformative circular business models that involve product recovery and closed-loop systems.
How can designers apply this research?: Prioritize the development and implementation of IoT solutions that support the full lifecycle of a product, including its end-of-life phases and design for disassembly and remanufacturing, rather than solely focusing on in-use optimization.
What were the main findings?: Current IoT implementations for circular strategies primarily support 'efficiency in use' and 'product lifetime extension'.. There is limited adoption of IoT for 'circular looping' strategies such as reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling.. Few cases demonstrate 'design evolution' where data from products in use informs circular design improvements.
What research method was used?: Framework development and case study analysis. with 40 cases.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2019 journal from Sustainability.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When designing products or services intended for a circular economy, actively consider how IoT can support not only efficient operation but also strategies for reuse, remanufacturing, and informed design evolution.
What are the limitations?: The analysis is based on reported cases, which may not represent all implementations. The study focuses on current practice, and future adoption trends may differ.