Open Access

Vera Hummel, Jan Schuhmacher

• In the context of sustainable transformation in higher education, this paper presents the development and implementation of a circular product and production system focused on a Mobile Working Hub (MWH). The MWH is a modular, mobile workstation designed for students to borrow and use flexibly across the campus, supporting modern forms of collaborative and mobile learning and working. Rooted in circular economy principles the MWH has been developed to minimize environmental impact through product longevity, reparability, and reuse, while simultaneously enhancing functional value. The development was conducted at Werk150, the learning and research factory at Reutlingen University, serving as both a development environment and a demonstrator for circular manufacturing systems. A holistic design approach was employed, encompassing product design, material selection, disassembly strategy, and business model development. Life cycle thinking and stakeholder integration played a central role in guiding design and process decisions. Parallel to the product development, a circular production system was established within Werk150. This involved adapting existing infrastructure and workflows to support flexible, small-batch manufacturing, modular component reuse, and material recovery at end-of-use. The implementation included prototyping, iterative testing, and the development of digital solutions for lifecycle tracking and circularity performance evaluation. This paper outlines the development process, explores the application of design-for-circularity principles in product and production design, and evaluates the potential sustainability and educational impact. It also highlights challenges in bridging design, engineering, and operational aspects of circular production within a university setting and outlines potential recommendations for SMEs. The paper contributes to the discourse on how learning factories can act as research, education and training environments for circular economy innovation, fostering applied learning and real-world impact, tangible impact, and strategies for transferability.