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Effect of Circular-Economy Education on Adults’ Understanding of Product Life Cycles

Abstract

Circular-economy education refers to the process of providing adults with knowledge and skills about sustainable resource use, product longevity, reuse, repair, recovery, and recycling, while understanding of product life cycles concerns adults’ ability to recognize and explain the different stages through which products pass, from the acquisition of raw materials and production to distribution, use, reuse, recovery, and eventual disposal. As concerns about resource depletion, waste generation, and unsustainable consumption increase, understanding product life cycles can help adults make more informed decisions about the products they use. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of circular-economy education on adults’ understanding of product life cycles. Circular-economy education can expose adults to the relationship between product design, resource extraction, manufacturing, distribution, consumption, reuse, repair, recycling, and waste management. Through structured learning activities, adults can examine how decisions made at different stages of a product’s life can influence resource use and environmental outcomes. Such education can also help learners understand the importance of extending product usefulness, reducing unnecessary disposal, and maintaining materials within productive use for as long as possible. Adults’ understanding of product life cycles involves their ability to identify, describe, and explain the major stages associated with the existence and use of products. Adults with adequate knowledge of circular-economy concepts may be better positioned to recognize how products move from raw-material extraction through production and consumption to reuse, recovery, recycling, or disposal. Improved understanding may therefore enable adults to appreciate opportunities for reducing waste and making more responsible choices concerning product use and end-of-life management. The study will adopt a suitable descriptive survey research design. The population will comprise adults participating in selected Adult Education programmes, from which an appropriate sample will be selected using a suitable sampling procedure. Data will be collected through a structured questionnaire and an appropriate assessment designed to measure participants’ understanding of product life cycles. The research instruments will be subjected to appropriate validation procedures, while their reliability will be established before administration. Data collected will be analysed using relevant descriptive and inferential statistical techniques to determine the effect of circular-economy education on adults’ understanding of product life cycles. The study is expected to establish that circular-economy education has a positive effect on adults’ understanding of product life cycles. It is anticipated that adults exposed to relevant educational activities will demonstrate improved ability to identify the stages of product development, use, reuse, recovery, recycling, and disposal. The study may also indicate that practical learning experiences strengthen adults’ understanding of how product life-cycle decisions influence resource efficiency and waste generation. The findings are expected to have important implications for Adult Education practitioners and programme developers. Incorporating product life-cycle concepts into adult learning programmes can provide opportunities for learners to examine everyday products, trace their different stages, discuss resource use, and explore possibilities for extending product usefulness. Practical activities of this nature may make circular-economy concepts more understandable and encourage adults to apply life-cycle thinking when making decisions about purchasing, using, maintaining, reusing, and disposing of products. The study will be significant to adult learners, households, communities, Adult Education practitioners, businesses, environmental organisations, and policymakers interested in sustainable consumption and resource management. It is recommended that adult education programmes should incorporate practical circular-economy education that addresses product life cycles, resource efficiency, product longevity, reuse, repair, recovery, recycling, and responsible disposal. The study concludes that effective circular-economy education can improve adults’ understanding of product life cycles and support more informed approaches to sustainable product use and resource management.

Keywords: Circular-Economy Education, Product Life Cycles, Circular Economy, Resource Efficiency, Sustainable Consumption, Product Longevity, Product Design, Raw Materials, Manufacturing, Product Use, Reuse, Repair, Recycling, Resource Recovery, Adult Learning