The smaller the loop, the greater the profitability of the system.

Dr Conny Bakker of TU Delft explains why product life extension is important in a circular economy.

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

• The smaller the loop, the greater the profitability of the system
• The two ways to extend the life of a product are (a) keeping a product in use for longer and (b), giving a product a second, third, etc., life.
• A product’s life can be extended by making it durable, easy to maintain and upgrade, and by making it repairable. Refurbishment and remanufacture also extend a product’s life.
• Do not repair what is not broken, do not remanufacture something that can be repaired, do not recycle a product that can be remanufactured. Walter Stahel calls this the “Inertia Principle”.