Designing valuable GOODbyes: A review of state-of-the-art ‘Design for Divestment’ literature
Consumers play a crucial role in closing loops in a circular economy, as they decide how andwhen products are returned. However, the end-of-use of products is underexplored from a consumer perspective. This final phase of the consumption cycle, also known as divestment, is the process of the physical and mental & emotional separation of the consumer from their product. The field of ‘Design for Divestment’ is in its infancy.
This paper therefore explores the present situation of Design for Divestment in theory and practice and
identifies knowledge gaps. The study first reviews the state-of-the-art literature and then analyzes
divestment in practice. Interviews were held with inter alia Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) to explore how the collection of e-waste is designed and how the divestment/consumer perspective is understood and integrated.
No universal factor could be found in literature nor practice to guide consumers towards collection
solutions. Nevertheless, experimenting with different interventions at a small scale to design effective collection solutions seems to be key. It may be beneficial to engage consumers more actively during the design process and leverage their tacit and latent knowledge. Although the research field is not yet widely known by interviewees, divestment definitions, tools and methods in literature offer a base for designers. These could be complemented with methods commonly employed when designing for the purchase and use phases but adapted to divestment. Further research is needed to deepen and diversify Design for Divestment methodology and to bridge gaps between theory and practice to design valuable goodbyes.
Read the paper
Click here to read the paper that explores the present situation of Design for Divestment in theory and practice and identifies knowledge gaps.
If you have any questions, please contact Flora Poppelaars. She coordinates Work package 5 – Circular Society – of the INCREACE project.
Related news
INCREACE Crash Course series: Learning from the Business Cases
In this crash course, we will dive into the key learnings from our business cases. We like to call these the heart of the INCREACE project.Crash Course 30 October 2025 Each business case explores a different polymer used in electronic applications, including...
INCREACE Crash Course series: High Quality WEEE Recycling
How can we turn complex plastic fractions from WEEE into valuable resources for the circular economy?Crash Course 23 October 2025 In this crash course, we dive into the innovative recycling technologies we use in INCREACE: 🔹 Mechanical recycling 🔹 Chemical recycling 🔹...
INCREACE Crash Course series: Environmental and Costing Assessment
In this INCREACE Crash Course we dive into the environmental and economic aspects of recycling innovations.Crash Course 16 October 2025 The session features three insightful parts: 🔹Fraunhofer – presenting results on the environmental assessment of different recycling...
INCREACE Crash Course series: WEEE Plastics Sourcing
How can we source and use more recycled plastics in electronics?Crash Course 2 October 2025 At the heart of INCREACE are five business cases, each tackling different challenges in plastics sourcing, sorting, and recycling. Over the past three years, our partners have...
INCREACE Crash Course series: Regulation & Policy
How do regulation and policy shape the circular economy for plastics and electronics?Crash Course 25 September 2025 In this session, we explore:🔹 Key barriers impacting circularity🔹Drivers enabling sustainable recycling pathways🔹 A deep dive into medical devices (in...
INCREACE Crash Course series: Circular Product Design
Did you know designers play a key role in making products truly circular?In this webinar, we will explore two crucial intervention points in a product’s lifecycle.Crash Course 18 September 2025 These two crucial intervention points ina product's lifecycle are: 🔹...
INCREACE Crash Course series: Introduction
The transition to a circular economy for plastics in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is gaining momentum. Last week, we lauched the INCREACE Crash Course Series where professionals, researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders now have a...
We attended E-Waste World Conference
At the E-Waste World Conference in Frankfurt, David Pfeffer (ETH Zürich) and Theresa Aigner (Fraunhofer IZM) had the opportunity to share preliminary findings from our ongoing Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle Assessment of various e-waste recycling technologies. Our...
INCREACE produced the first demonstrator with recycled materials
Milestone achieved! Our consortium partner Cabka has just unveiled the very first prototype pallets with electrostatic discharge (ESD) properties produced from recycled polypropylene (PP)! Key takeaways from the prototype - Impressive Resistivity: Recycled PP...
6th General Assembley at Neste’s headquarters
We recently held a very successful 6th General Assembly at Neste's headquarters! As we enter the final third of the project, we are proud to reflect on the progress made and the collaborative spirit that drives us forward. Key Takeaways Over three days, partners...
Get in touch
For more info about the INCREACE project, please feel free to get in touch with us.
Projectcoordinators
Theresa Marie Aigner & Ronja Scholz
Address
Fraunhofer Institute for for Reliability and Microintegration IZM
Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25
13355 Berlin, Germany
Email address
info@increace-project.com