The journey toward a circular economy is more than managing waste more efficiently. It is also about preventing that waste from being generated in the first place, and ecodesign is the guiding philosophy. Put simply, it means manufacturing with recycling in mind, designing products from the outset with their eventual disassembly in view, so they can be given new uses while reducing their environmental and energy footprint.
The European Commission has repeatedly pointed out, in successive reports, that 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during its initial design phase, and it is urging manufacturers to rethink design through an eco lens. This principle now carries legal weight under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (ESPR), approved by the European Parliament and the Council, which gives this new industrial policy the force of law.
In essence, it requires that nearly every physical good sold in Europe carry a “Digital Product Passport” (DPP), obligating manufacturers to be transparent about a product’s composition and to provide precise instructions so that most components can be disassembled easily and efficiently.
Among other things, this means eliminating complex adhesives and mixed plastics starting from the earliest concept sketches, in favor of products that come apart, can be disassembled, reused, and recycled with ease, yielding high-quality secondary raw materials, while embracing renewable materials such as cork, which support more sustainable designs.
Turning waste into new products through ecodesign is central to the philosophy of upcycling, which has already made inroads into industries ranging from footwear to solar power plants.
Four examples of ecodesign at industrial scale:
- 1. The rise of mono-material packaging. One of the most common examples of this industrial philosophy can be found in the packaging that carries products from the supermarket to our homes. Traditionally, food and cosmetics packaging combine multiple layers of polymers and aluminum bonded together with irreversible chemical adhesives. Organizations such as Ecoembes note that today these have largely given way to mono-material solutions (such as unified high-density polyethylene) held together by purely mechanical fasteners, allowing consumers to separate materials for recycling without tools or prior technical knowledge.
- 2. Modular electronics built to be repaired. Companies like Fairphone have already proven that other approaches are possible, with modular phones and computers designed for easy repair. What sets them apart? They forgo internal industrial adhesives, relying instead on snap-fit clips and standard screws, which allows battery or camera modules to be swapped out in minutes and makes it easier to recover precious metals at the end of the product’s life.
On the regulatory front, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) regularly updates guidance under the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). In its reports on material efficiency, the Centre highlights how standardizing mono-materials and eliminating certain adhesives lowers costs at electronic waste (WEEE) and packaging recycling plants across the European Union.
- 3. Reversible furniture. Design for Disassembly, or DfD, is now an established standard in interior design and corporate furnishing. Major furniture and home-goods companies such as Ikea have revised their manuals to meet environmental and sustainability criteria, phasing out permanent adhesive priming in favor of interlocking hardware and gravity-based joints between components.
This more open approach to design extends a product's useful life, since it makes it easier to take apart for repair or repurposing. It also means waste managers can more easily separate components—wood, metal, textile—into secondary materials for new products, without the need to source additional raw materials.
- 4. Circular cars: the recyclable automobile. The automotive sector offers another compelling example of ecodesign as an established industrial reality at scale. Extended producer responsibility regulations require that 95% of a vehicle’s weight be recoverable. As a result, dashboards, wiring, and door panels are now designed to be extracted using automated tools at authorized treatment centers, ensuring that engineering plastics return to the value chain without losing their properties.
One of the pioneers in this space has been Renault. The French automaker applies ecodesign at scale through its circular economy factory in Flins. One example is the all-electric Renault Scenic E-Tech, 90% of whose total mass is industrially recyclable. Its seat fabric is made from recycled fibers sourced from decommissioned seatbelts, while components such as doors and hoods incorporate 80% closed-loop recycled aluminum.
Ultimately, circular ecodesign proves that sustainability begins with the first sketch, with building in constructive simplicity so that nothing goes to waste, and everything can be recovered. This new industrial policy is moving toward products that are useful and efficient in operation, but also valued for how easily they can be taken apart and transformed into something new.
