Value Regeneration–Driven Eco-design for Smart Wearables

The explosive growth of smart wearable devices has created a severe electronic-waste challenge. Existing eco-design research largely focuses on material circulation, with few studies—under a cross-disciplinary design lens—deeply integrating digital technologies and business models to achieve sustained “regeneration” of product value. Going beyond the traditional 4R framework, this study proposes a new eco-design paradigm for smart wearables that takes Regenerate as its core driving principle. The framework creatively integrates Product–Service Systems and Digital Twin technologies across the full design life cycle to realize data-driven value co-creation, extending the physical lifespan of the product while continuously enhancing its intangible digital value. Using a smartwatch as a case, we develop and evaluate three innovative design schemes. Results show that the Regenerate scheme—combining PSS and DT—reduces disassembly time by 73%, increases the reusable parts ratio to 78.5%, raises willingness to pay by 34.3%, and lowers global warming potential by 34.5% compared with the original design. This research provides a forward-looking theoretical framework and practical pathway for the sustainable development of smart wearables, and reveals the critical role of digital technologies in driving eco-design’s shift from “material circulation” to “value regeneration.”