Enabling Circular Economy Through Product Stewardship

Sustainable manufacturing extends beyond the manufacturing process and the product, to include the supply chain, across multiple product life-cycles as well as end-of-life considerations. Companies can gain a competitive advantage by applying sustainability manufacturing for environmental friendlier products and operations. Industry 4.0 sets new requirements for becoming a sustainable manufacturer where data management, the Internet of Things and extended product service systems are tightly linked with traditional manufacturing processes. Automobile, aircraft and ship manufacturers have either been regulated or have voluntarily adopted product stewardship initiatives to support high quality, end-of-life management. This paper analyses how different 'product stewardship' and 'end-of-life' strategies can support the circular economy and what the challenges and benefits are from an original equipment manufacturer perspective.