The concept of a circular economy is considered to be of major importance for coping with the ongoing climate change and the increasing scarcity of resources, as well as for ensuring the competitiveness and security of supply of industrial production in high-wage locations.
In the commercial vehicle industry in particular, there is significant potential for implementing circular approaches (e.g. remanufacturing, after sales, product service systems) as well as specific obstacles.
The aim of the research project is to identify and prioritize potential applications of the Circular Economy in the commercial vehicle sector and to implement them in pilot projects. A particular focus is on the aspect of "Design for Circularity", i.e. the integration of Circular Economy approaches in vehicle development.
To begin with, an environment and trend analysis is to be carried out, which will serve as the basis for the further work. First, the current status and future developments of the Circular Economy in the commercial vehicle industry and related industries will be examined.
Subsequently, the current maturity level of Circular Economy approaches in the partner company will be examined and the current processes in vehicle development will be recorded in order to derive requirements for a Circular Economy concept for vehicle development.
Based on the previous results, a comprehensive guideline for the integration of Circular Economy approaches in vehicle development will be developed.
This guideline will be evaluated and adapted on the basis of pilot projects (e.g. in the field of BEV, recyclates,..), whereby a prioritization of measures will be carried out.
Subsequently, the guideline will be applied in pilot projects in the partner company.