Understand, shape, and apply the Circular Economy
Knowledge Space Circular Economy
Circularity does not only arise at the end of a product life cycle. Whether products are durable, repairable, reusable, reconditionable, or resource-efficient is often decided during engineering: through product architecture, material selection, data availability, interfaces, or business models.
The Knowledge Space Circular Economy bundles knowledge, tools, events, and project examples from the environment of the it's OWL project GoProZero. It shows how companies can systematically approach Circular Economy, from initial orientation to concrete tools to industrial application examples.
Circularly into the future | The right entry for your question
Events, tools, projects and more on the Circular Economy in one place
Companies today are under increasing pressure: Rising regulatory requirements, scarce resources, and the call for more sustainability demand new ways of thinking and acting. The Circular Economy offers a promising approach here: it aims to extend product life cycles, close material loops, and reduce dependence on primary raw materials.
Circular Economy is a broad field of action. Some companies initially seek orientation, others concrete tools, exchange formats, or examples from industrial practice. The knowledge space brings these approaches together and makes it visible how circularity can be practically implemented through engineering, data, and digital technologies.
To the events
Exchange formats, events, and dates related to Circular Economy, sustainability in product development, and circular value creation.
To the tools
Tools and checks that companies can use to assess their position, identify areas for action, and derive initial steps.
To the glossary
Key terms, concepts, and methods of the Circular Economy explained clearly – from R-strategies to Product Carbon Footprint.
To the projects
Insights into exciting research and development projects that show how Circular Economy can be implemented in practice.
Engineering as the key to circularity
Circular Economy begins in product development
Circular Economy is often associated with recycling, take-back, or reuse. For companies, however, actual feasibility is decided much earlier. It is already determined during development whether components can be replaced, whether materials can be separated, whether data on the life cycle remains available, and whether later services, refurbishment, or take-back models function economically.
Therefore, the knowledge space focuses on product creation. It makes visible the role that engineering, data, digital tools, and business models play in circular value creation. GoProZero pursues exactly this approach: the project develops practical approaches and IT tools that support companies in developing resource-efficient and circular products; digital technologies such as AI and Digital Twins play a central role in this.
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Exchange, orientation and transfer
Events on Circular Economy and circular product development
Change arises through exchange. The event overview bundles events, workshops, and transfer formats related to circular economy, sustainable product creation, and resource-efficient value creation. Companies, research institutions, and network partners receive impulses here, learn about application examples, and can contribute their own questions.
The events create space for discussion, networking, and concrete next steps: What requirements will companies face? What role do data, AI, and digital twins play? How can circular strategies be anchored in development, production, service, and business models?
Tools for analysis and implementation
Tools for the Circular Economy in the Company
The entry into Circular Economy begins with a structured assessment of the current situation. Which products have circular potential? What data is already available? Which resource levers are relevant? What skills, processes, and IT systems are missing?
The tools in the knowledge space help companies to systematically address these questions. They support in assessing one's own maturity level, making resource potentials visible, and deriving concrete fields of action for circular product development.
Maturity Checks
Recommendations
Reporting
Resource efficiency
Business model development
Over 20 practice-proven tools
Use tools for circular economy, resource efficiency, and circular product development
Projects show how Circular Economy becomes practical
Circular Economy in Research, Development, Networking, and Industrial Practice
Circular Economy becomes tangible when it is tested on concrete products, processes, and business models. The projects in the knowledge space show how companies and research partners put circular approaches into practice – from sustainable product design and lifecycle engineering to digital tools, data models, and business models for reuse, refurbishment, and resource efficiency.
In the context of GoProZero, solutions are emerging that anchor circularity in product development. The focus is on how engineering, data, and collaboration can be designed so that circular products are not just conceived but implemented.
Anchor circular product development early
Leverage lifecycle data and digital tools
Make transfer from research and industry visible
Digital Product Passport: Added Value Instead of Extra Work?
Is the Digital Product Passport just another obligation – or is there real added value for companies in it? In this episode of Inside it’s OWL, Arno Kühn talks to Kay Langhammer from the Wuppertal Institute about the Digital Product Passport and the it’s OWL project Sustainable Lifecycle Engineering, or SLE for short.
Circular Economy: 80 % less CO₂ at Weidmüller – at no extra cost?
How does circular economy succeed in industry in concrete terms? In this episode of Inside it’s OWL, Dr. Arno Kühn talks to Mark Edler, Vice President Corporate Sustainability at Weidmüller, about the practical implementation of circular economy in the company – and why the topic is much more than just recycling. The starting point is the it’s OWL project DualStrat, in which sustainability and digitalization are considered together.
From plastic to raw material: How recycling is becoming more sustainable | Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences
Plastics are an indispensable part of our everyday lives. But what happens to them after use? And how can valuable raw materials be kept in circulation? In this episode of sOWL of Innovation, the video series from the Heart & sOWL campaign, Salome Leßmann talks to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Angela Ries from Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. Together, they take a look at plastics technology and new approaches for more sustainable recycling.
Repair more expensive than buying new? Companies should change this | Inside it's OWL
If the repair is more expensive than buying new, then the problem often lies not with the technology, but with the system behind it. In this episode of Inside it’s OWL, Wolfgang Marquardt (it's OWL) talks to Sven Pfeiffer (Head of Product Development, CP Contech / Contact Electronic) about how companies can make repair economically viable again – through better decisions in design, processes, and responsibility/liability.
GoProZero – The project behind the knowledge space
Circular Solutions for sustainable product development
GoProZero stands for the design of integrated product development systems as an enabler for Zero Emissions. The project supports companies in developing circular and resource-efficient products and in establishing the necessary methods, data structures, IT tools, and engineering processes.
The focus is on the interplay of Circular Economy, digitalization, and sustainable industrial development. This includes considering AI, Digital Twins, model-based development, and lifecycle data, among other things. The project runs from January 2025 to December 2027 and has a project volume of approximately 5 million Euros.
Als einen „digitalen Container“ beschreibt Dr. Holger Berg vom Wuppertal Institut den digitalen Produktpass.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Circular Economy, Circularity and Engineering explained briefly
What is the Circular Economy knowledge space?
The Circular Economy knowledge space bundles information, tools, events, glossary terms, and project examples related to circular product development, resource efficiency, and Circular Economy in the context of GoProZero.
Why is engineering important for the circular economy?
Many prerequisites for circularity already arise in product development: product architecture, material selection, repairability, data availability, interfaces, and business models influence whether products can later be reused, reconditioned, or recycled in a resource-saving manner.
What does the Tools section offer?
The Tools area supports companies in assessing their own position, identifying resource levers, and deriving concrete fields of action for the circular economy and sustainable product development.
What can I find in the glossary?
The glossary explains central terms and concepts of the Circular Economy – for example R-strategies, Product Carbon Footprint, Digital Product Passport, Refurbishing, Remanufacturing and Lifecycle Data.
Which projects are being presented?
The project overview shows research and development projects in which Circular Economy, digital technologies, sustainable product creation, and circular business models are practically tested.
Successful network work
The partners behind the Circular Economy knowledge space
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