The long-standing philosophy for “shipping” products has created a product lifecycle that ends when the product is in-fact, shipped. But, in a world increasingly conscious of environmental challenges, and service that creates a differential product circularity has emerged as a transformative concept that product managers and designers can no longer afford to overlook. This framework challenges traditional linear product lifecycles and encourages innovation toward sustainable, efficient, and regenerative systems. So, today on this Earth Day, let’s explore how thoughtfully and intentionally considering circularity right from the beginning can redefine how physical products are conceived, developed, and delivered.
At its core, product circularity is the practice of designing and managing products to extend their lifecycle, minimize waste, and enable resource recovery. Unlike the traditional “take-make-dispose” model, circularity envisions a closed-loop system where materials are reused, remanufactured, or recycled. This approach aligns with the principles of the circular economy, which aims to decouple economic growth from resource consumption. Essentially it is thinking about the entirety of the life of your product… and also it’s death. It’s also important to consider product support along the way in the circularity context.
The Role of Product Managers and Designers in Circularity
Product managers and designers sit at the nexus of ideation, development, and delivery. At the end of the day, this is their responsibility to make happen.
The key Circular Product Design principles are:
- Modularity – Create products with components that are easy to replace, repair, or upgrade.
- Material Choices – Prioritize renewable, recyclable, or biodegradable materials.
- Lifecycle Thinking – Consider environmental impact and customer experience at every stage—from sourcing to disposal.
It’s important to point out that although this all sounds somewhat obvious on paper… this often runs counter-cultural to the profit and growth mandates held by most companies that produce products at scale. Profit-seeking companies want customers to buy more, and then come back and do it again when it’s time for an upgrade (which is hopefully as soon as possible). This is one of the most delicate, but also profoundly important challenges product teams will face in the coming years. For more on that, check out “Buy Now” on Netflix.
But, assuming your product team has the necessary buy-in, where do you start?
Design for Longevity: Durability and repairability are central to circular products. For example, companies like Patagonia have embraced repair programs to extend product life while building brand loyalty.
Embrace Product-as-a-Service Models: Shift from selling products to offering services. Companies like Philips provide lighting as a service (via the Signify brand), retaining ownership of fixtures while ensuring their components are reused or recycled while receiving consistent monthly revenue to do so.
Closed-Loop Recycling: Establish systems to collect and process used products. Brands like Apple have pioneered initiatives like the “Daisy” robot, which disassembles iPhones to recover valuable materials for future use in new products.
Consumer Education is Key!: Circularity thrives on user participation. Educate customers about proper use, care, and disposal of products to maximize their lifecycle. Making sure they know what to do when the product they purchased from you breaks or wears out is important. It also has to be easy for them! The default behavior you are fighting against for most people is discard-and-replace.
Product circularity is not a fleeting trend but a fundamental shift in how we approach product design and management. It’s also not a perfect science. There is much discussion to be had on the balance of reactive vs. proactive circularity. Using Apple again for example, could be argued to be simultaneously one of the most egregious offenders, and also most responsible stewards when it comes to this. They make hardware products that have an elegant integrated design that is nearly impossible to upgrade or repair. But, they have made taking that obsolete device back from you to responsibly recycle and dispose of it extremely frictionless and accessible. They have also made great commitments to producing these tightly integrated devices in a carbon neutral way with recycled materials.
By adopting circular principles, product managers and designers can drive innovation, enhance brand value, and contribute to a sustainable future. As stewards of product development, now is the time to rethink, redesign, and rebuild with circularity at the forefront. With the climate crisis ahead of us the question is no longer if we should embrace circularity, but how fast we can make it the new normal!
PS… AI can help!
- AI-Powered Circular Design Optimization: AI helps design products that are easier to reuse, repair, and recycle. It suggests sustainable materials, modular architectures, and minimal waste configurations — all aligned with circularity principles from the start.
- Automated Lifecycle Impact Assessment: AI can simulate and assess environmental impact across a product’s lifecycle — carbon footprint, energy use, recyclability — in real-time during the design phase, enabling better decisions upfront.
- Intelligent Material & Component Reuse: AI models identify salvageable components from returns or waste, match them to new builds, and optimize reverse logistics to reintroduce them into the supply chain.
- Predictive Maintenance & Product Life Extension: By analyzing usage and sensor data, AI predicts failures and maintenance needs, helping extend product life and reduce premature disposal — a cornerstone of circularity.