Ensuring sustainability in shipping extends beyond fuel choices to encompass the responsible use of materials in vessel construction and maintenance. Shifting from the prevailing 'take-make-dispose' model to a circular economy is crucial for enhancing sustainable waste reduction in the industry. Unlike consumer goods, current ship design primarily prioritizes functionality, cost, and operability, neglecting circularity considerations.
To integrate circularity into ship design, this project evaluates and compares frameworks like the butterfly diagram, Cradle-to-Cradle, 10R, and ReSOLVE. The chosen approach combines the 10R framework with the Material Circularity Indicator method, offering practical insights and manageable efforts for addressing circularity in ship design. The 10R framework includes strategies like Refuse, Reduce, Redesign, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, and Recover, each providing a design strategy for circularity in consumer goods.
However, integrating these methods into standard design processes proves challenging due to the lack of structure. To overcome this, the 10R design strategies are fused with systems engineering, allowing for the assessment of circularity and identification of key areas for improvement in ship designs. This approach emphasises the need for a renewed system, enabling the redesign of systems with a dual focus on functionality and circularity.
Demonstrated through a case study on the wheelhouse, the framework assesses various sub-systems for their circularity levels and redesigns one sub-system, showcasing the potential for a systems engineering approach to enhance circularity. Supplier collaboration is pivotal for the framework's success, facilitating information exchange and elevating the circularity of products offered.