Global businesses are transforming towards capturing more value from services, a business model transition called servitization. Digital servitization can help create and maintain a competitive advantage, as well as offering opportunities to tackle major challenges related to environmental pressures and rapidly changing market conditions. This study aims to bridge the gap between the theory of digital servitization and its implementation in the maritime shipping sector. This paper presents a multi-case study that explores the status, perceived challenges, and enablers for the adoption of digital servitization. Empirical data were collected from interviews with 13 companies and analyzed using the PESTEL and DPSIR frameworks. The results are presented across three categories based on the PESTEL framework: organizational context, global priorities, and sustainability. This study contributes to theory by providing empirical insights from the status of digital servitization in the maritime shipping industry. Also, it identifies challenges and needs that can support the transition towards digital servitization and the development of more sustainable solutions. Future research avenues are suggested to advance digital servitization in other industrial sectors.

This research examines how sustainable product design education can address the deficit in green talent. It presents a framework for a structured curriculum in product design, with hands-on activities, industry-specific case studies, and best practices in alternative design development. The impact of technologies like additive manufacturing on design is considered. Findings demonstrate that knowledge of technological capabilities, industry specific understanding, and proficiency in analytical tools such as Life Cycle Assessments contribute to sustainable designs mitigating a green talent gap.

The transition towards a circular economy requires an overarching perspective that recognises the dynamic and interdisciplinary nature of our current economic growth landscape. Circular economy inherently involves numerous stakeholders across the product life cycle. To establish efficient circular economy practices among these actors, this study suggests a novel framework for developing collaborative and interdisciplinary decision-making tools. By looking into relevant literature, organising a workshop, and analysing standard tools used in a circular economy like KPIs, risk analysis, Cost-Benefit Analysis, etc., we managed to capture the multidisciplinary challenges and dynamics faced by stakeholders of the circular business model. The contribution of this paper is the development of a framework that bridges requirement management techniques from product development practices with circular economy principles to facilitate effective decision-making processes. The framework effectively balances diverse stakeholder requirements, addressing uncertainties and multi-ownership challenges through product life cycles. This framework may be used to validate existing tools used by businesses and systematically develop new ones when needed. By facilitating collaboration around the circular economy, this framework not only reduces the environmental impact of economic growth but also encourages society to move towards more collective efforts to achieve sustainability. Finally, this article highlights the importance of a transdisciplinary approach in a systematic and effective transition to a circular economy.

This study investigates the transition to a circular economy in the metal cutting tools industry, highlighting collaboration challenges and lifecycle management. We propose a framework that fosters designer-user collaboration, enhancing circularity and sustainability through improved lifecycle oversight and information sharing, as evidenced by our case study findings.

Metal cutting industry, a key sector in manufacturing, is grappling with the transition to a "net-zero industry" to mitigate climate change and reach sustainable practices. Rare and exclusive materials make recycling and reusing cutting tools more pressing and necessitate efficient circular material flows. The purpose of this research is to explore how collaboration can facilitate circularity in the cutting tool industry. It examines the involvement of stakeholders and their roles in achieving a circular lifecycle for cutting tools. To investigate the interaction between metal cutting tools suppliers and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), this study used a mixed-methods approach that includes data from literature, interviews, and document study. Empirical data is gathered to investigate the factors driving circularity and to identify important participants in the lifecycle of cutting tools. The study revealed challenges to the current situation including underutilization of tools due to the absence of a standardization process and subjective operator judgment, as well as lack of traceability of the tools both internally at SMEs and between the stakeholders. Moreover, by mapping the current actors, the study found cutting tool traceability, undirected decision-making throughout tool lifecycles, and limited awareness of circularity dimensions are key challenges. To handle these challenges. 9Rs circular economy framework used to investigate the possible role of collaboration emerges as a vital enabler for circularity, with SMEs playing a significant role. Moreover, the involvement of machine operators, often overlooked actors, is found to be crucial in influencing circular outcomes. Digital solutions and collaborative strategies that involve CNC machine suppliers and intermittent refurbishing business are pivotal in overcoming the challenges identified, namely, traceability and human subjectivity in tool condition assessment. The study demonstrates that technology providers, intermediary refurbishing businesses, SMEs and other stakeholders operating in the metal cutting tools sector must be involved throughout their lifetime to avoid suboptimal results, exchange information, and inspire industrial actors to support the circular economy.

Circular value chains, driven by sustainability goals and resource efficiency, are now central in industrial strategies. Simultaneously, digital technologies transform business models and accelerate the shift towards circular economies. This paper explores circular material flow for the electrification of the vehicle fleet, focusing on the Lithium-ion battery value chain. In the paper, a conceptual model integrating digitalization is developed and evaluated to enhance efficiency and product innovation. The paper reviews the lithium-ion battery value chain literature and investigates digitalization potentials for circular business models. A conceptual model is presented in this study to represent the intricate relationship between each stage of the value chain and the concept of circularity while considering the carbon footprint and complexities associated with the implementation of digitalization.

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review of smart maintenance techniques used in manufacturing, aviation, and electric automobiles, with the objective of identifying strategies to optimize the longevity and sustainability of satellite operations. This study assesses the latest advancements in smart maintenance, including data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the integration of sensor technologies. These methods are suggested to reduce downtime, cut overall maintenance costs, and increase functional or component reliability and reusability. This study explores state-of-the-art maintenance approaches and industry best practices and examines their applicability in space. The research outlines the advantages of applying smart maintenance techniques to satellites, including enhanced operational efficiency, operational life-time extension, and overall cost-effectiveness. Moreover, the research proposes that the space industry can utilize the findings as a blueprint for customized satellite maintenance solutions and towards the establishment of standards and policies. \par This paper emphasizes the importance of adopting advanced maintenance procedures as a critical step towards a circular space economy that prioritizes sustainability and efficiency in space missions. This research contributes towards the sustainable future of the space industry by starting the dialogue on advanced smart maintenance technologies. It offers insights into improving satellite maintenance practices and encourages further research and collaboration to overcome implementation barriers. Furthermore, maintenance strategies are presented as a vital component towards space sustainability, enabling sustainable, reliable space missions, also aligning with the goals of a circular space economy.

Ships are complex technical systems resulting from large scale and scope projects in which integration plays a key role, particularly because trade-offs have to be made between conflicting objectives. Merchant ships are usually built with a perspective of twenty-five years of service. Ship owners detail their requirements and ship specifications in line with their strategy to remain competitive on specific segments of the shipping markets. Ships serve and organize global trade flows. The rise in environmental regulations and technological changes generate unprecedented uncertainties for ship owners. Ships do not follow the usual systems engineering process, as there is no full-scale prototyping. Rules and standards deeply influence the design of ships and limit the possibilities to 'think outside the box'. The purpose of this paper is to present environmental drivers relating to the operation of the ship which have, or will have, an influence on the way it is designed.