Relationship between the product development process, circular economy and remanufacturing

It is estimated that between 60% and 80% of all environmental impacts caused throughout the life cycle of a product are determined in the initial phases of its development process. Although the need for more sustainable production models is a fact, most of the current models still follow a linear process of extraction, transformation and discarding. In a world of finite resources, these models cannot work in the long term and there is evidence that the limit is being reached. The objective of this work is to identify existing methods and tools through which value can be added to the life cycle of a product considering the concepts of the circular economy and its application through remanufacturing processes. The research strategy used to reach the objective was systematic literature review. The methods and tools analyzed focus on the integration of customer needs, environmental requirements and economic considerations, emphasizing the importance of the remanufacturing process to help define the entire product cycle. The information presented here can be used by researchers in their future studies and by industry professionals who can find a guide to allow project engineers to choose, alter or evaluate the different end-of-life strategies of the product, which makes the product development process more interesting for organizations from an economic, social and environmental point of view.