Design of Indicators for Measuring Product Performance in the Circular Economy Percy Grif fiths and Steve Cayzer Abstract This paper explores measurement of product performance with respect to circular economy principles. Potential indicators are assessed, with special attention given to questions such as: the variables that should be measured; how these variables should be assessed; and in which format they should be presented. The resulting considerations are used to develop a prototype whose design is informed through feedback from Circular Economy experts. The prototype uses a points-based questionnaire which converges into a simple final result with mini- mum and maximum limits. The selected approach is critically appraised, and its utility for decision-making discussed. The strengths include: ease of use; simplicity; speed; and an effective metaphor for the diffusion of circular economy principles. The limitations include: the opaque and potentially misleading nature of a single metric; superficial engagement with decision making; and the reliance on context specific assumptions. Future developments could include refining the approach to encourage deeper reflection, and generalization of the approach to different industry sectors or sustainability frameworks. Keywords Circular economy Á Metrics 1 Introduction The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) has been set up to champion a notion of a “Circular Economy” (CE). According to the EMF [1] the CE contrasts with the dominant economic paradigm of a “Linear Economy” (LE); a chain of activities dependent on the extraction of raw natural resources. CE has significant traction, P. Grif fiths (&) Á S. Cayzer Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath, UK e-mail: percy.k.grif fiths.de.las.casas@bath.edu S. Cayzer e-mail: s.cayzer@bath.ac.uk © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 R. Setchi et al. (eds.), Sustainable Design and Manufacturing 2016, Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 52, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32098-4_27 307