Erik Rieger and Matthew Sullivian have been active last year, organizing a workgroup related to Design for Sustainability, as you might recall from earlier posts: Towards a shared definition of Design for Sustainability.

As part of this exploration, Erik Rieger and Jos Voskuil had a conversation with Adrian Segens, an experienced professional at Cambridge Design Partnership and a thought leader in packaging, recycling, and sustainability, contributing to industry discussions, reports, and LinkedIn posts.

For that reason, we were happy to record an interview with Adrian, discussing his background in sustainability, the connection to businesses and the concept of Product As A Service – a must for a circular economy.

Enjoy the 36-minute interview below:

The images presented during this recording can be found HERE.

 

What we learned

  • Sustainability is an Economic Imperative: the effort to sustain a “working and livable economy and society” for a global population of eight billion people. The transition to a circular economy is an economic necessity because current resource use and climate emissions are tied directly to how we make and consume products.
  • The shift to ‘Product as a Service’ (PaaS) is essential: Manufacturers must retain ownership of material flows—a cornerstone of circularity and a sustainable economic model. This approach replaces the unpredictability of one-time sales with steady, predictable revenue, long-term customer value, and a reduced reliance on virgin resources.
  • Recycling is a Low Priority on the “Ladder of 10”: A major misconception is that the circular economy is primarily about recycling. In reality, recycling is ranked eighth in a ten-stage hierarchy of circularity. Higher-value strategies include rethinking the business model (the second step), reusing products (the most preferred method), and refurbishing equipment.
  • Digitalization is essential for Scaling: The circular economy cannot scale without digitalization, as we need full traceability of materials and outcomes. Technologies like Digital Product Passports (DPP) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) are necessary to provide the end-to-end visibility required to track every product in the field, manage complex return logistics, and collect metadata to improve future designs.

 

Want to learn more?

Adrian recommends that we dive deeper following these links:

 

Conclusion

We all agree that the transition to a circular economy is an economic necessity,  requiring a fundamental shift toward product-as-a-service models. Understanding that product design is the most effective lever for reducing environmental impact, prioritizing high-value actions like reuse and refurbishment over recycling.

For us as a PLM community, the circular economy cannot function at scale without digitalization. Success relies on end-to-end visibility, enabled by modern, data-driven PLM infrastructures, to manage material flows and leverage data for continuous improvement.

We have work to do

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