Modelling Usage-Specific Circularity Measures for Individual Life Cycle Paths in Life Cycle Engineering

Circularity measures like repair, remanufacture and refurbish provide options to enhance the life cycle and thus the sustainability of a product besides measures, which primarily concentrate on the end-of-life of a product. To integrate the concept of circular value creation engendered by such measures in the development process of a product, we extended the idea of modelling standard life cycles as introduced by Block et al. This extension introduces the novel notion of undesired states within a product’s life cycle. Undesired states can be dissolved with the help of circularity measures. A Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach was developed to implement this strategy. The resultant modelling approach is implemented in form of a software tool. The system is evaluated within an automotive development project revealing a significant advantage in contrast to previous methods.