Circularity in Design is Crucial to Waste Reduction and Sustainability

23 Apr, 2026

Circularity in Design is Crucial to Waste Reduction and Sustainability

Discussions of sustainability in supply chain operations often focus on what happens to a product after it reaches the end of its life. But most waste problems are built into the design from the start. That is why pollution and waste, for example, are usually the result of design choices. And the numbers support that. 

According to the EU’s Joint Research Center, about 80% of a product’s environmental impact is decided during the design phase. That means if we really want to be circular, we need to move the conversation upstream. The best and cheapest way to cut down on waste is to design it out from the beginning. But right now, it’s the one that is getting the least attention.

What Design for Circularity Looks Like in Practice

The good news is that several businesses are already showing that designing for circularity works without hurting performance or profits. But the change usually happens in three places.

1. Design for Disassembly

One of the biggest barriers to recycling and refurbishing is that most things aren’t made to come apart. For instance, components may have their parts glued together, batteries sealed in, or coupled together with special fasteners, making even simple repairs almost impossible without the right tools. A few companies are already pushing back against this, though.

The Dutch smartphone maker Fairphone makes phones with modular parts that users can switch out with a regular screwdriver. So if, for example, you need a new camera module or battery, you only need to change that part, not the whole thing. Dell’s Latitude laptops and OptiPlex desktops are engineered with standardized screws and clearly documented layouts, and many key components are modular and user‑replaceable. OptiPlex desktops, in particular, offer tool‑less access to most internal parts.

2. Material Selection and Simplification

Knowing what a product is made of is just as important as knowing how it is put together. It is also much easier to recycle products made with fewer materials at the end of their lives. For instance, a plastic container made of a single polymer can be sorted and cleaned easily. But a coffee cup made of multiple materials, with a plastic lining, will be hard to recycle — even if the label says “recyclable.”

Regulation is likely to speed up change in this area. Take the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) for example. It is now prompting manufacturers to consider how recyclable their products are and how transparent the materials are from the very beginning of the design process.

3. Extended Product Life Through Repairability

It may seem like a simple idea to make products that last longer. However, the concept has a surprisingly large impact on the amount of material used and the amount of waste produced, if, for instance, a laptop lasts five years instead of three. That means two fewer years of raw material extraction, manufacturing energy, and end-of-life processing.

This is probably why the right-to-repair regulation is gaining traction. Depending on the type of product, the EU now requires manufacturers to provide spare parts and repair information for 8 to 10 years after it goes on sale. Buyers can view repairability scores the same way they view battery life or screen resolution. And it looks like it’s working. Manufacturers are beginning to see repairability as a selling point instead of a concession.

Why Design Alone Isn’t Enough

Design sets the terms, but execution at the end of life determines whether materials actually stay in circulation. Even a perfectly modular laptop needs someone to pick it up when it’s no longer useful, safely erase its data, determine whether it can be refurbished or recycled, and carry out the right option correctly.  

A single-material package that is beautifully designed still needs the right infrastructure to collect it and the right processing power to turn it back into usable material. The real benefits come when upstream design choices are made with partners who can handle them. If you fail to pair them up effectively, even the best-designed products end up in the same trash can as the worst.

Where Close the Loop Fits

Close the Loop is an end-to-end partner in the circular economy. We collect, securely dispose of, repair, and recycle IT assets across North America, all with a zero-landfill guarantee. Our patented TonerPlas technology and rFlex recycled plastic resins can turn hard-to-recycle waste into new, usable products. Contact us today to get started.