ABSTRACT
Various factors infl uence the suitability of a product to be recovered at different levels (direct reuse, reuse of parts, recycling). An effi cient recovery operation, therefore, requires the correct evaluation of all these factors (predicted lifespan, deterioration in performance, recyclability of materials, separability of components from the constructional system). This type of analysis is thus essential in the design phase in order to plan possible recovery cycles at the end of the product’s life, and for an evaluation of the effi - ciency of the product’s architecture and component details. An increase in the volumes recovered can be obtained by modifying certain characteristics of product architecture, or by simply varying certain design choices regarding materials or shape of components, in a way that allows a recovery plan involving greater volume fl ows. In most cases, however, modifi cations of this type result in higher production costs. In order to plan economically sustainable recovery operations it is thus necessary to evaluate their economic impact. In particular, it is important to determine the conditions under which an increase in the volumes recovered, which entails an undoubted environmental benefi t, is also economically advantageous.
