Towards the circular economy in furniture industry: evaluation approach

Öz

Circular economy (CE) is a production and consumption model extends the useful life of existing materials and products with various strategies. As a result of increasing environmental problems and the re-questioning of existing economic models such as linear economy (LE) the transition to CE has begun to be discussed in a different discipline. In this study, the steps to be taken and the criteria to be applied for the transition to CE are researched in the furniture industry. The study focuses on LE and CE to be defined their basic principles and features, presenting the importance and benefits of CE by revealing the relation between CE and sustainability, researching improving circular business models, strategies for the transition of the furniture industry to CE, barriers to this transition and opportunities it offers. The study proposes an evaluation approach to determine whether companies in the furniture industry are ready to transition to CE. The proposed approach allows evaluation of the companies according to four main criteria: design process, production and supply process, waste management and business model. The approach was tested by evaluating the findings obtained from various interviews with a leading office furniture company in Turkey by 8 participants. The results show that the firm's work largely overlaps with CE. It is thought that the study will support the determination of the current status of the companies in the furniture industry and their transition to CE.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Circular economy
• Circular business models
• Furniture industry
• Sustainability.

Mobilya endüstrisinde döngüsel ekonomiye geçiş: değerlendirme yaklaşımı

Öz

Döngüsel ekonomi (DE), malzeme ve ürünlerin çeşitli stratejilerle kullanım ömrünü uzatan bir üretim ve tüketim modelidir. Lineer ekonomi (LE) gibi mevcut ekonomi modellerinin artan çevre sorunlarıyla yeniden sorgulanması sonucu DE’ye geçiş farklı disiplinlerde ele alınmaya başlanmıştır. Bu çalışmada, mobilya endüstrisinde DE’ye geçiş için atılması gereken adımlar ve uygulanması gereken kriterler araştırılmıştır. Çalışma, LE ve DE’nin benimsediği temel ilke ve özelliklerin tanımlanmasına, DE ile sürdürülebilirlik arasındaki ilişki üzerinden DE’nin önemi ve faydalarının sunulmasına, gelişen döngüsel iş modellerinin araştırılmasına, mobilya endüstrisinde DE’ye geçiş stratejileri, bu geçiş önündeki engeller ve sunduğu fırsatlara odaklanılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında, mobilya endüstrisindeki firmaların DE’ye geçiş sürecine hazır olup olmadığının tespiti için değerlendirme yaklaşımı önerilmiştir. Önerilen yaklaşım, mobilya firmalarının tasarım süreci, üretim ve tedarik süreci, atık yönetimi ve iş modeli olmak üzere dört başlığa ayrılmış kriterler üzerinden değerlendirilmesine olanak sağlamaktadır. Yaklaşım, Türkiye’nin önde gelen bir ofis mobilyası firmasıyla yapılan çeşitli görüşmelerle elde edilen bulguların, 8 katılımcı tarafından değerlendirilmesiyle test edilmiştir. Sonuçlar, firma çalışmalarının DE ile büyük oranda örtüştüğünü göstermektedir. Çalışmanın mobilya endüstrisindeki firmalara mevcut durumunun tespiti ve DE’ye geçiş sürecinde destek olacağı düşünülmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Döngüsel ekonomi
• Döngüsel iş modelleri
• Mobilya endüstrisi
• Sürdürülebilirlik

Teşekkür

Bu çalışmanın erken aşamalarının geliştirilmesine katkılarından dolayı İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü, Mimari Tasarımda Bilişim Lisansüstü Programı, 2021-2022 bahar yarıyılı, Digital Architectural Design Studio dersi yürütücülerine ve öğrencilerine teşekkür ederim. Çalışmada ele alınan Türk ofis mobilya firmasına desteleri için ayrıca teşekkür ederim.

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