Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool for the Circular Economy: Elbfabrik case study

Resource consumption and exploitation are becoming huge problems that the circular economy aims to address. Following the principles of the circular economy, this thesis will address this issue by aiming to contribute to solving this challenge. This project of thesis will develop a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) tool to support the decision, from a circular economy perspective, about what to do with products that return to the manufacturer for several reasons and in different conditions. To achieve this, various MCDM algorithms have been first analyzed to select the most suitable one for the project. Second, the alternatives have been selected from the 9Rs framework of circular economy and third, the representative criteria and sub-criteria have been identified to distinguish the alternatives properly. In order to demonstrate its practical application, the tool is then developed and applied in a case study specific to Elbfabrik which is an experimental factory of Fraunhofer IFF in Magdeburg. The criteria come from the triple bottom line approach and the identification of sub-criteria comes from the literature review and Elbfabrik requirements. This thesis aims to provide a tool that is flexible and can be adapted to every factory that wants to be more sustainable and aware of the resource consumption.