Consumers are increasingly better informed and expect companies to assume greater responsibility in solving global challenges concerning the environment and society. A responsible company designs its products and services from the start to be financially, ecologically and socially sustainable.

The role of design is pivotal whenever the aim is to ensure that products have as long a lifespan as possible. In turn, the extension of the lifecycle provides an opportunity for the company that manufactures and sells the products to create completely new services around the product.

Digital marketplaces for used products are a good example of the extension of a product’s lifecycle. When a product is repaired, maintained and updated before being resold, we are already close to a new service and business model. At the same time, a used product will find a new owner and its lifecycle is extended.

Design choices that can help ensure that a product has the maximum lifespan:

• The different needs of various end users have been taken into account as effectively as possible.
• The materials, chemicals, surface treatments, etc. are environmentally friendly and durable.
• The product is designed to be easily maintainable and repairable, rather than disposable.
• Modularity enables the product’s parts to be repaired, replaced or updated.
• The product is easy to recycle at the end of its lifecycle.

The aesthetic and visual form of a product can also affect the length of its lifecycle. Timeless design makes it easier to maintain a product’s lifecycle.