We are proud to announce that our project partner TU Wien will present a paper at the 12th International Conference on Life Cycle Management (LCM 2025), held from 9–12 September 2025 in Palermo, Italy. LCM is a leading global forum where researchers, industry, and policymakers exchange knowledge on tools and strategies for advancing sustainability—an ideal setting to showcase pioneering circular concepts.
In an oral presentation, TU Wien will highlight the Circularity Assessment Tool (also part of the CIRCOTRONIC set of tools) and its application to an electrical powertrain for heavy vehicles. The study focuses on three essential components—inverter, motor, and gearbox—and is carried out in collaboration with industry partners within the Horizon Europe RHODaS project (www.rhodas.eu)
The tool follows a five-step approach based on the Double Diamond innovation framework:
- Selection of the most relevant circular economy (CE) strategy using a guided questionnaire, simplifying the 10R framework into three loops (short, medium, long).
- Systematic evaluation of selected 20–30 CE design criteria.
- Innovation workshops to address unmet criteria.
- Assessment of ideas in terms of technical and economic feasibility, as well as circular and climate performance.
- Definition of a circular business model through the game-based method “Make it Circular.”
This structured process demonstrates how circular design can unlock real-world opportunities for resilient, resource-efficient mobility systems.
The tool was also broadly tested within in the Circotronic project see link.
We look forward to TU Wien’s contribution to LCM 2025 and to sharing insights from this important work on the future of sustainable heavy-duty transport.
Written by Rainer Pamminger, TUW