Tarbimistsüklit

Tarbimistsüklit is a theoretical framework in sustainability studies that describes the ongoing cycle of consumer-oriented resource use and waste generation. The term is Estonian, formed from tarbimine “consumption” and tsüklit “cycle.” It treats consumption not as a single event but as a repeating sequence that connects individuals, producers, retailers, and policy regimes in a dynamic system.

The framework identifies a set of interconnected stages: acquisition, use, maintenance and repair, sharing or reuse, refurbishing, recycling, and eventual disposal. It emphasizes feedback mechanisms such as product durability, repairability, and shifts toward service-based models (for example, product-as-a-service) that can shorten or transform the cycle. Tarbimistsüklit also considers how cultural norms, economic incentives, and regulatory frameworks shape the length and intensity of each stage.

Methods used to study tarbimistsüklit include material flow analysis (MFA), life-cycle assessment (LCA), and consumer surveys to map material and energy flows through the cycle. Key indicators include material throughput, recycling rates, product longevity, and the degree of circularity achieved by markets and households.

Applications of the concept include informing policy toward material efficiency, circular economy, and extended producer responsibility; guiding business models that emphasize sharing, leasing, or refurbishment; and supporting consumer education about sustainable consumption patterns. Criticisms note that the term overlaps with existing concepts like the circular economy and consumer culture studies, and that measurement can be data-intensive and regionally variable.

See also: circular economy; life-cycle assessment; material flow analysis; sustainable consumption; consumer behavior. The term tarbimistsüklit remains relatively new and best understood as an integrative lens rather than a fixed taxonomy.