Which phase of the circular economy is primarily concerned with prolonging product life?

The phase of the circular economy that is primarily concerned with prolonging product life is repairing. This stage focuses on the practices and processes that aim to restore products to a functional state, allowing them to be used for a longer period instead of being discarded. By repairing items, businesses and consumers can extend the usefulness of products, thus reducing waste and resource consumption. This approach aligns with the principles of the circular economy, which emphasizes sustainability and minimizing environmental impact by keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible.

In the context of the other phases, while product development and designing do play essential roles in creating sustainable products, their primary focus is more on the initial creation and optimization of new products rather than directly extending the life of existing products. Recycling, on the other hand, deals with processing end-of-life products, recovering materials to create new products, but it does not inherently extend the lifespan of the original product; instead, it focuses on how to manage waste effectively after a product has reached the end of its usable life. Thus, repairing stands out as the phase that directly emphasizes prolonging the use of products.