Unveiling Barriers to Recycling with a Focus on Design: An Ishikawa Diagram-Based Approach with Industrial Application

The circular economy offers decisive advantages over the currently prevalent linear economy in industry. Firstly, the reuse of products, individual parts and material reduces the need for new production or generation and the associated consumption of energy and resources. Secondly, it helps to avoid the generation of waste. Early consideration of circular economic principles in product development processes is essential to specifically promote reuse, reparability and recycling. Efficient recycling of assemblies requires well-defined strategies. However, various challenges hinder the efficiency of technical recycling processes in industrial applications. This paper presents an Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram-based approach to systematically identify and categorize these influences. The method is implemented within an industrial framework, highlighting key obstacles such as material composition, design constraints, use of technology, framework conditions, economic limitations and regulatory challenges. By applying a scenario analysis, this approach examines potential future developments and their impact on recycling-oriented design choices. This helps to identify critical influencing factors and supports the development of resilient and sustainable industrial practices. This framework will serve as the foundation for developing an automated approach to circular design, enabling industries to more effectively integrate sustainability into their processes and adapt to changing environmental demands.