A 4R-supported circular product-service system for luxury branded events
Abstract
Temporary luxury branded events run on short cycles and bespoke builds that accelerate material churn. We present a circular phygital product-service system that operationalises the circular economy (CE) through a 4R frame (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycling) across warehouse-to-event journeys. Developed via a multi-method design inquiry with a tier-1 contractor, the system couples physical touchpoints (reusable fold-flat transit boxes, adjustable racking, standard labels) with digital orchestration (a live digital warehouse, list-based outbound/inbound workflow, and a sustainable materials library). The architecture aligns roles and decisions, protects and identifies assets, and makes reuse the default under luxury brand constraints. By embedding traceable actions and CE-aligned rules into everyday handoffs, the PSS shifts procurement, storage, dispatch, return, and redeployment toward value retention. The contribution is a replicable, practice-ready route from circular intent to operational change in branded environments, advancing responsible retail without compromising speed or aesthetic standards.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.20613,
title = {A 4R-supported circular product-service system for luxury branded events},
author = {Ke Ma and Francesca Valsecchi and Yuchen Tan and Mingjia Ji and Junru Shen and Xiaoya Ma and Duan Wu and Jiao Mo and Shijian Zhao},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.20613},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
19 pages, 11 figures, accepted to be published in the Proceedings of DRS 2026 (Design Research Society Conference)