Reshaping production and consumption

About our research

Reshaping Production and Consumption is a research programme dedicated to transforming the way goods are designed, produced, used, and valued. We aim to accelerate the shift from a linear economy to a circular one—where materials and resources are used efficiently, retained in productive use, and waste is minimised by design. This transformation requires a deep integration of technological innovation and formal assessment methods—such as life cycle analysis and systems modelling—to ensure that environmental impacts are quantified, trade-offs are understood, and circular strategies are scalable, effective, and economically viable.  

Equally vital is addressing the social, cultural, and behavioural dimensions that drive consumption. The programme explores how norms, values, identity, and policy shape consumer choices, and how these can be redirected toward more sustainable, equitable outcomes. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, we investigate how to challenge growth-driven mindsets, reshape demand, and promote new forms of ownership, repair, reuse, and shared value. Our vision is a future in which both producers and consumers are empowered to participate in circular, regenerative systems that support wellbeing, reduce inequality, and operate within environmental limits.

Thematic areas

1. Circular technologies and systems innovation: focuses on developing engineering, digital, and material solutions that enable circular production and consumption. It integrates life cycle assessment and systems modelling to ensure that circular designs reduce environmental impacts, manage trade-offs, and are scalable and economically viable across value chains. 
2. Business models and economic transformation: explores how circular and post-growth business models can replace linear economic systems. Research examines product–service systems, sharing economies, repair and remanufacturing, and circular value chains, with a focus on economic viability, value distribution, and long-term resilience. 
3. Consumer behaviour and cultural change: investigates how values, norms, and everyday practices shape consumption patterns. It focuses on influencing behaviour through design, education, and communication, supporting shifts towards reuse, repair, sharing, and more sustainable lifestyles that enhance wellbeing and equity.  
4. Governance, policy, and regulation: examines how policy, regulation, and institutional frameworks enable or hinder sustainable production and consumption. It focuses on the role of standards, incentives, and governance mechanisms in accelerating circular practices while addressing coherence, equity, and implementation.