Circular tech product development in health and educational industries in Norway

Based on the latest available data, Norway has a circularity rate of 2.4%, significantly lower than the global average of 8.6%. Circularity is increasingly being debated both nationally and internationally, prompting industries to take proactive steps towards redesigning business processes to address key issues such as waste and ecological footprints. Additionally, healthcare systems globally are responsible for emitting 4%–5% of greenhouse gases. It is imperative to address this issue at its root cause, often being the lack of circular value chains in the industry. The main objective of this research is to support and guide the product development process of a new innovative high-tech product by a startup based in Norway, facilitating the establishment of its business processes and value chain towards achieving end-to-end circularity. Given the importance of establishing circularity from the outset, this project is of the highest priority with the ultimate aim upon completion being to create a product-specific blueprint outlining the processes required for designing a technological product tailored to the health & educational markets in Norway.

Muzziball AS is a high-tech health sector product manufacturing firm currently in the product development phase. The firm's initial target market is the Health & Education B2B sector, with subsequent plans for expansion into the B2C market across Norway. Leveraging technology and distinctive features, the product aims to address the global issue of physical and mental inactivity among individuals with various limitations. While the company is committed to implementing sustainable practices from the very beginning of product development, it currently lacks the expertise and research findings necessary to design and execute processes that ensure end-to-end circularity sustainably. Based on the latest available data, Norway has a circularity rate of 2.4%, significantly lower than the global average of 8.6%. Circularity is increasingly being debated both nationally and internationally, prompting industries to take proactive steps towards redesigning business processes to address key issues such as waste and ecological footprints. Additionally, healthcare systems globally are responsible for emitting 4%–5% of greenhouse gases. It is imperative to address this issue at its root cause, often being the lack of circular value chains in the industry. Thus the goal of the PhD project is to actively support the development of the new product and facilitate the integration of circular practices across all business levels, leading to a national market launch in 2025 and a global market launch in 2027. This involves addressing all segments of the value chain, including product development, procurement, production, operations, and after-sales logistics. Given the importance of establishing circularity from the outset, this project is of the highest priority with the ultimate aim upon completion being to create a product-specific blueprint outlining the processes required for designing a technological product tailored to the health & educational markets in Norway.