Circular Economy

Use products longer

Consumers using products as long as possible helps ensure that the full value and benefit of a product is obtained. This requires producers to design products that last longer and consumers to change their behavior to keep the products longer. Extending the product life delays the need to replace the product, thereby reducing the need for additional resources to produce a replacement product. However, it is a bit more complex for products that consume energy during use and for which energy efficiency has improved year-over-year — this can create a trade-off between using the product for as long as possible versus switching to a new, more efficient product. This also applies to products that undergo a technology shift, such as the switch from fuel-based vehicles to electric vehicles. In these cases, it sometimes makes sense to switch to the new product, though the lifecycle impact varies for individual products and where they are used.

The average lifetime that a product is used is influenced by several technical and social factors, such as the durability of the product (including repair and update) and the ability to upgrade to meet the evolving needs of the user. Product lifetime can also be cut short when the user is no longer interested in using the current product and switches to a newer product that has a better function or is more appealing. This reduced use can be mitigated if there is the ability and opportunity for the product to be reused by someone else.

Statistical data on the average product lifetime is limited, but for some products with a high rate of market growth that require significant production resources, the trend in product lifetime is improving. For example, in the U.S., as of the end of 2023, the average age of passenger cars and light trucks had increased by just over 6% per year since 2000. Survey data also suggests improvements in product lifetime for electronic products and appliances. In Japan, for instance, statistical data indicates that the average lifetime of a mobile phone increased by 79%, from 2.4 years in 2004 to 4.3 years in 2021. However, on average, a product’s actual lifetime was still shorter than the consumer’s desire for the product to last. In the European Union, the actual average lifetime of smartphones was 1.8 years shorter than the 5.2 years that consumers expected.

Upward trends in product lifetimes need to be accelerated across a broader range of products. For instance, France has launched the first Repairability Index, which requires certain products to display reliability and repairability information, but more countries need to do the same to enable consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. Additional data is also needed to form a more complete picture of the current global landscape and identify opportunities for improvement.

Enablers and barriers to using products longer

The lifetime of products can be extended by a combination of changes to product design, consumer behavior and support services. The product needs to be designed for durability, including maintenance, repair and upgrades. For some products, easy access to repair services is an important enabler. Consumer behavioral changes to use products longer and more frequently repair and reuse products are also needed.

The quality and reliability of the product, the availability of spare parts, the ability to disassemble and replace parts, and easy access to repair services when needed can be important contributors to maximizing a product’s useful life. For products with fast changing functionality and features, manufacturers’ and retailers’ ability and commitment to provide updates and upgrades is important. Statistical data from the European Union (EU) shows that the repair sectors for computers and personal and household goods have experienced a slight upward trend in the repair sector’s revenue and number of employees. Repair services need to be more easily accessible, desirable and affordable to facilitate the consumer’s transition to repairing instead of purchasing new products.

To make products more durable and extend their useful lifetime, it is necessary to encourage manufacturers to adopt business models with extending product lifetime in mind. Policy instruments that mandate transparency of product durability information, including reliability and repairability, can help consumers make good purchasing decisions and encourage manufacturers to make their products more durable. Such policy instruments are starting to emerge in the EU.

When a consumer no longer needs a product that still functions as intended, the suitability of the product for reuse becomes more important. For some products, refurbishing can improve its acceptance for reuse. However, there is limited data available on product reuse. Additional monitoring is needed to better understand the opportunities to promote reuse.

Data Insights

What targets are most important to reach in the future?

Systems Change Lab identifies 3 targets toward which to track progress. Click a chart to explore the data.

What factors may prevent or enable change?

Systems Change Lab identifies 5 factors that may impede or help spur progress toward targets. Click a chart to explore the data.

Progress toward targets

Systems Change Lab tracks progress toward 3 targets. target. Explore the data and learn about key actions supporting systems change.

Average product age of automobiles

Extending the useful lifetime of vehicles can help reduce the need for new automobiles and thereby reduce resource consumption.

Automobile production requires significant resources and, with steady growth in the number of vehicles produced, extending the useful lifetime can help reduce the need for new automobiles and thereby reduce resource consumption.

Data on the useful product life of automobiles is limited, but proxy data on the average age of automobiles in use is available from the U.S., the European Union (EU) and Japan. Between 1996 and 2023, the average age of passenger cars increased slowly from 8.5 years to 13.6 years in the U.S., and from 5.0 years to 9.2 years in Japan. In the EU, the average age of passenger cars slightly increased from 11.5 years in 2019 to 12.0 years in 2021.

The global community has not agreed on a target for the average age of automobiles. In general, higher indicator values are regarded as better, unless environmental impacts from the use phase suggest that replacement would be a net better option. For example, the transition to more fuel efficient vehicles or from fossil fuel to electric vehicles may require consideration of both production and product use.

Product's average lifetime for electronics

The average lifetime for electronic products should increase, unless environmental impacts from the use phase suggest that replacement would be a net better option.

The production and consumption of electronics has grown rapidly, and for consumer electronics, the products are often characterized by short useful lifetimes. Based on a study commissioned by the European Environment Agency, the actual product lifetimes of smartphones, televisions, washing machines and vacuum cleaners were shorter than both the designed lifetime (as indicated by manufacturers) and the desired lifetime expected by consumers. For example, according to the survey results in the European Union, the actual average lifetime of smartphones was 1.8 years, whereas the designed lifetime was 2.0 years and the consumer’s average desired lifetime was 5.2 years – a 65% gap compared to the consumer’s expectation.

Data from Japan indicates that the average lifetime of electronics has increased significantly for some products and only slightly for others. The average lifetime  of mobile phones, for instance, increased by 79%, from 2.4 years in 2004 to 4.3 years in 2021. At the same time, the lifetime of TVs has fluctuated, but recorded a slight upward trend from 9.3 years in 2004 to 10 years in 2021. Washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner and computer lifetimes have increased by 15%, 25%, 29% and 62%, respectively, over the same time period.

There is no specific target defined. In general, higher indicator values are regarded as better, unless environmental impacts from the use phase suggest that replacement would be a net better option.

Average lifetime of houses

To ensure longer material use in this industry, the lifetime of houses is an important indicator to track, but their long lifetime poses difficulty for accurate measurement, leading to low data availability.

The built environment, such as houses, office buildings, roads and other constructions, requires a huge amount of materials. To ensure longer material use in this industry, the lifetime of these structures is an important indicator to track. However, their long lifetime poses difficulty in measuring this lifetime accurately. The data availability is therefore usually low.

Data regarding the average lifetime of houses is more available compared to other types of buildings. It varies by country and type. This includes, for instance, 34 years for wooden houses in Japan, 61 years for residential buildings in the U.S., 90 years for dwellings in the Netherlands, 96 to 102 years for residential buildings in the United Kingdom and 125 years for residential buildings in Norway. The differences are based on the primary materials used, culture of building and demolishing houses, city planning and different methods that are used in different regions to measure the lifetime of houses. Thus, importance should be placed on comparisons of the same type of houses in the same country over time, which is still difficult to measure as the data is limited. 

Enablers and barriers

We also monitor change by tracking a critical set of 5 factors factor that can impede or help spur progress toward targets. Explore the data and learn about key actions supporting systems change.

Number of countries that require product durability information

Labels and other communication about product durability (including reliability and repairability) made prior to the sales transaction help purchasers select products that will last the longest.

Labels and other communication about product durability (including reliability and repairability) made prior to the sales transaction help purchasers select products that will last the longest. However, detailed specifications or standards are needed to ensure that this is done in a transparent and consistent manner between producers of similar types of products. WIthout these, inconsistent claims could cause purchasers to make misinformed decisions.

Policy instruments can help ensure that consistent assessment criteria are used and that a fair comparison is possible. Such standards and policy instruments for durability labeling are just starting to emerge, particularly among European Union countries such as France, which launched the world’s first repairability and durability indices mandated by regulation and requires repairability and durability labels for certain categories of products.

No centralized or publicly available data source has been identified. Ideally, all countries would implement such policies, providing purchasers with information to make informed decisions on product durability.

Revenue of the business-to-consumer repair sector

Revenue from repair businesses is another way to consider the strength of the repair sector, but it better reflects the necessary transition in the business model from growing new product sales to providing services to support existing products.

Revenue from repair businesses is another way to consider the strength of the repair sector, but it better reflects the necessary transition in the business model from growing new product sales to providing services to support existing products.

Statistics show that revenue from repair of computers and personal and household goods in Europe fluctuated between 20.9 and 25.6 billion euros between 2012 and 2020, demonstrating a slight upward trend. This part of the economy needs to accelerate to help consumers to continue using their products for a longer time and to promote product reuse.

There is no centralized global data source for this indicator and there is no agreed target for the turnover of the repair sector in a circular economy. Additional monitoring is also needed to determine whether increases in revenue are due to more products being repaired or increases in repair costs.

Number of workers employed in repair and maintenance services

To take advantage of opportunities to extend the lifetime of products with repair, the number of workers employed in repair and maintenance services needs to increase significantly.

Readily available repair services can be an important enabler to consumers who are considering repairing a product rather than buying a new one. The prevalence of such services can also provide important job opportunities.

There is no centralized global data source for this indicator, but there is some country-specific data. For instance, the European Union (EU) tracks the number of full-time equivalent employees that perform repairs of computers and personal and household goods. The number of employees in the EU has remained relatively flat, fluctuating between 151,000 employees and 175,000 employees between 2012 and 2020. In the United Kingdom, the number rose by 15% from 2011 to 2018.

To take advantage of opportunities to extend the lifetime of products with repair, the number of workers employed in repair and maintenance services needs to increase significantly. Recognizing the importance of easy access to repair services and to promote repair, the EU is implementing legislation with rules on repair of goods that will include manufacturer responsibility for making repair services available and directories to help consumers find repairers for their products.

Percent of citizens who have chosen alternatives to buying new products

Alternatives to buying a new product including remanufactured or refurbished products, leasing or renting and used sharing schemes can save resources associated with producing products.

If alternatives to buying a new product can meet users’ needs, then the resources associated with producing the product can be saved. Such alternatives include buying remanufactured or refurbished products, leasing or renting a product or using sharing schemes.

Amount of designated reused products

Reuse of textiles, electronics and furniture is critical in reducing the need to produce new products, but there is no centralized data available for product reuse.

Reusing products after they are no longer useful to the current user is critical in reducing the need to purchase new products. The current user may no longer wish to use a product for aesthetic or functionality reasons, but it may meet the needs of another user. For example, the color of a kitchen appliance may not match a new paint color, or a child may outgrow a specific toy. In these cases, the product may still have significant value to the next user.

This indicator is focused on three important product categories for reuse: textiles, electronics and furniture. However, there is no standardized methodology or centralized data available for product reuse. Additional monitoring of product reuse is needed to understand the degree and circumstances of reuse and to better understand the opportunities to promote reuse.

Data Challenges

Comprehensive data on product lifetime is limited, given that it is not typically captured as part of economic or corporate data. Many of the enablers for extending the useful product lifetime are just starting to emerge and data has not been available to date. Product reuse frequently occurs informally or through private sales that are not captured as part of a business activity.

Dedicated surveys that are targeted to end users are needed to track reuse and to assess the real average lifetime of products.

Photo credits

Photo by Kilian Seiler

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