Prof. Fazleena Badurdeen

University of Kentucky, USA

From Products to Systems: Symbiotic Pathways to Circular Economy

Abstract:

Despite the growing prominence of circular economy research as a systems-level paradigm, theoretical clarity is still lacking regarding how circularity emerges and propagates across different scales of analysis. This presentation advances the argument that product-level circularity constitutes the foundational nucleus of circular systems, while symbiosis functions as the critical relational mechanism that enables circularity to scale beyond individual products. Building on and synthesizing research in product circularity attributes, standards-driven metric formalization, systems-based frameworks, and multi-generational product design, the talk presents a multi-level conceptualization linking micro-, meso-, and macro-level circularity. At the micro level, critical product attributes and design decisions define the feasibility of high-value circular pathways. At the meso level, industrial symbiosis enables coordinated exchanges of materials, components, services, and data across value networks. At the macro level, standards, policies, and enabling infrastructures provide the conditions for scaling and governance. This presentation elaborates how symbiotic relationships link product design, value networks, and system enablers to reinforce that circular economy is not an aggregate of circular practices, but an emergent property of symbiotic interactions grounded in product design. In conclusion, the implications for researchers, designers, and policymakers seeking to move from isolated circular products toward genuinely systemic circular economy outcomes will be discussed.

Fazleena Badurdeen

Biography:

Fazleena Badurdeen is an internationally recognized leader in sustainable manufacturing, circular economy, and advanced manufacturing systems, with more than two decades of experience spanning academia, industry collaboration, and global professional leadership. She is the Earl Parker Robinson Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kentucky, where she also serves as Director of the Manufacturing Systems Graduate Certificate Program and as a core faculty member of the Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing.

Prof. Badurdeen's research focuses on advancing sustainability and circularity across product, process, and system levels. Her work integrates sustainable and circular product design, metrics and measurement systems for sustainability evaluation, smart and digital manufacturing, and modeling and analysis of manufacturing systems and supply chains. She has led and contributed to externally funded research totaling nearly $18 million from organizations including the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and industry partners. Her research outcomes have influenced both academic scholarship and directly informed industrial practice, standards development, and workforce training initiatives. A central theme of her work is translating sustainability principles into practical, data-driven tools that support real-world design and manufacturing decisions.

A recognized scholar, Prof. Badurdeen has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and edited special issues, and is co-author of the forthcoming book Design and Management of Sustainable Supply Chains published by Cambridge University Press. Her work is widely cited, reflecting its impact on the fields of circular economy, sustainable manufacturing, lifecycle engineering, and supply chain systems. She currently serves as an editor for Resources, Conservation and Recycling and holds editorial board positions with several leading journals in manufacturing and industrial engineering.

Beyond academia, Prof. Badurdeen is a prominent leader in the global manufacturing community. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), has served as Technical Vice President of IISE, and is the founding Chair of the International Forum on Sustainable Manufacturing. Prof. Badurdeen received her PhD in Integrated (Industrial and Mechanical) Engineering and MS in Industrial Engineering, both from Ohio University, USA and holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, Sri Lanka. She received her BS in Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.



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