e-Cycling platform for profitable reuse

A cycle economy as a paradigm for industry in the 21st century depends on economical and responsible treatment of limited resources. The objective is to achieve more use with fewer resources. Adaptation by maintenance, repair, remanufacturing, upgrading or downgrading, enlargement and reduction, re-arrangement or modernization extends the usage phase of products. Disassembly and reassembly processes are major elements of adaptation processes and contribute significantly to increase the use-productivity of resources. Yet, present industrial adaptation processes are not profitable. The potentials of reusing products are not fully exploited. An adaptation planning method, considering the idea of levels of reuse, increases the efficiency of adaptation processes and ensures their profitability. The provision of product and process information is a key element of the adaptation planning method and is realized by an e-Cycling information platform.