Circular design of products oriented to life cycle industries

For realizing a sustainable society based on the circular economy, the transition of the manufacturing industry to a lifecycle industry is a promising pathway. In this study, a concept of circular design is proposed that does not aim to reduce the material and production costs of a product by assuming product-service systems. The circular design was applied to an electric vehicle provided to users through a subscription service and was evaluated the environmental loads and costs throughout the life cycle. It was clarified that the environmental loads can be reduced without increasing costs for both the manufacturer and consumers by combining high-value materials and disassembly design for the product.