Design for repair as a circular Eco-Design approach: Methodological approaches and a case study on a vacuum cleaner

Abstract: One of the strategies for the transition towards more sustainable industries and a circular economy is to extend the lifetime of products by promoting their repair. In order to allow for repair and to make it more feasible, this should already be considered in the development process of the product. A company that has made this part of their sustainability strategy is Electrolux, a global home appliance manufacturer. Therefore this master thesis project was worked on in a cooperation between Electrolux and a master student in Integrated Product Design from KTH Royal Institute of Technology with the goal to generate knowledge and guidance about design for repair. A study about the current state of the art with different repairability standards, methods and tools was conducted. This led to different metrics and criteria that were then evaluated based on their relevance in the product development process of designers and engineers. Furthermore, the most suitable and relevant methods were highlighted. The second part of the project was a practical case study of an Electrolux vacuum cleaner and two competitor products that were analyzed with the rating method that was identified as the most relevant one, the French Repairability Index (L'indice de réparabilité) that will be in force in France later in 2022. The goal was also to disclose uncertainties and weaknesses in this rating system and provide inputs to further improve it. The outcomes of the project were improvement suggestions for the most recent Electrolux cordless stick vacuum cleaner as well as proposed metrics and guidelines for engineers and designers to integrate in their process for future product development.