The “Environmental Activation Energy” of Modularity and Conditions for an Environmental Payback

AbstractSimilar to the meaning of “activation energy” in physics and chemistry, there is a certain environmental investment needed for some circular design approaches: On the example of modular mobile devices, the additional environmental impact of implementing “modularity” is explained. This additional impact can be overcompensated through lifetime extension effects, if the design and related business models trigger the intended circularity effect. The paper systematically categorizes the different variants of modularity, explained on the example of smartphones. Each modularity approach features specific circularity aspects, including repair, upgrade, customization as a means to not over-spec a product, reuse and repurposing of modules. These life cycle management aspects are discussed on the example of various smart mobile products.