A new framework for assessing circular economy scenarios in the washing machine industry

Although the circular economy is usually indicated as a way to reconcile economic growth and sustainability, circular economy business projects are not implemented on a large scale yet. Developing new methods able to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social benefits of circular economy scenarios can support stakeholders to embrace this transition. This paper proposes and discusses the actions required for reshaping the washing machine industry towards a more circular economy scenario. Thus, an overview of a new framework, based on the results of a literature review, is provided. Albeit the research is only at its initial stage, the new framework described in this paper can be used to support static simulation and what-if analysis. With the aim to provide an idea about the order of magnitude of benefits gathered by a circular economy transition, the outcomes of some preliminary computations are estimated and discussed. Results show that customers could benefit from an average yearly saving of almost 30% of the current washing cost, while the country energy generation and water consumption could be reduced of about 0.6% and 1% respectively. Although they are only preliminary, these results show how such a model can contribute to reduce the uncertainty that typically characterize circular economy transition