Declare 2.1 End-of-Life & Circularity Documentation Guidance: Circular Product Design Characteristics (Designed for Disassembly, Repairable)

Last updated September 24, 2026

Introduction

The Declare 2.1 program update expands the options for reporting end-of-life and circularity pathways for products. This page provides practical guidance to help manufacturers identify appropriate documentation and other information to support their selected pathways.

This is living guidance and will be updated as Living Future gains experience with implementation of Declare 2.1.

How to Use This Guidance

The Declare 2.1 Program Manual defines each End-of-Life & Circularity pathway and the information manufacturers must disclose. This page provides examples of documentation that may help demonstrate or support those pathways.

You do not need to create a new document specifically for Declare. Existing product, technical, program, certification, testing, or other documentation may be appropriate when it provides relevant information or evidence.

The examples on this page are illustrative, not exhaustive. Different products and industries may have different types of documentation that demonstrate or support the same pathway.

If you have documentation that is not listed here, you may submit it with a brief explanation of how it supports your selected pathway.

General Principles

When selecting an End-of-Life & Circularity pathway:

Use existing documentation whenever possible.
Make sure the documentation relates to the declared product or applicable product component.
For recovery pathways, information should reflect realistic, currently available pathways, rather than theoretical or hypothetical future possibilities.
Where a pathway is geographically limited, documentation should help establish the applicable geographic scope.
A single document may provide useful evidence for more than one pathway.
You may submit multiple documents when no single document provides all the relevant information.

When in doubt, provide the documentation you have and explain how you believe it supports the selected pathway. Living Future may request additional information or clarification when needed to understand the claim.

Intermediate Materials and Components

Some Declare products are intermediate materials, components, or assemblies intended to be incorporated into other products. In these cases, consider whether the selected pathway applies to the declared product itself or depends on the design, function, or end-of-life management of the finished product.

For example, a component may have its own established reuse or recycling pathway even though the repairability or disassembly of the finished product depends on how that component is incorporated. Manufacturers should select pathways based on characteristics and recovery options that can reasonably be attributed to the declared product or component.

Where a pathway depends primarily on the design or function of the finished product, the finished-product manufacturer may be better positioned to report that pathway.

Designed for Disassembly

The Program Manual applies this pathway when a product has been designed to be disassembled to facilitate the separation of materials for recovery or disposal.

The Declare submission asks manufacturers to provide the product scope, a link to available disassembly instructions, and to select the intended outcome of disassembly: component reuse, repair or replacement, remanufacturing or refurbishment, material recycling, hazardous material removal, or other.

What should I link to?

Provide a link to existing instructions or technical information that shows how the declared product or component can be disassembled.

Depending on the product, the link might be:

Product disassembly instructions or manuals
Installation, removal, or service instructions that include disassembly steps
Product diagrams or exploded-view drawings
Technical product documentation describing how components are connected and separated
Manufacturer guidance for replacing or removing components
Other publicly available technical information that describes the disassembly process

The linked information should relate to the declared product or applicable product component and provide enough detail to understand how it can be disassembled.

Helpful to know

A formal design-for-disassembly assessment or certification is not required. Existing technical documentation is sufficient when it provides relevant information about how the product can be disassembled.

The ability to disassemble a product does not, by itself, establish that the resulting components or materials are reusable, refurbishable, remanufacturable, or recyclable. Where applicable, those outcomes should be supported by the information or documentation appropriate to the corresponding Circular Recovery Pathway.

Example: A manufacturer provides a publicly available service manual showing how a product can be separated into its major components. The service manual may serve as the disassembly instructions link for a Designed for Disassembly pathway.

Repairable

The Program Manual applies this pathway when a product has been designed to be repaired. Manufacturers must provide repairability documentation and information about any available repair or service networks.

What could I provide?

You might already have:

Repairability documentation

Repair or service manuals
Repair policies
Product diagrams identifying serviceable components
Replacement-parts information
Spare-parts commitments
Maintenance or service instructions
Manufacturer documentation describing how the product can be repaired

Repair or service network information

Authorized service-provider information
Manufacturer repair programs
Service center directories or locator tools
Information about available repair or service networks
Other documentation describing how the product can be repaired

The documentation or information should relate to the declared product or applicable product component and provide a reasonable basis for understanding how the product can be repaired and, where applicable, how repair services or replacement parts are available.

Helpful to know

Documentation can address the product's repair features, the availability of repair services, or both, depending on what is applicable to the product.

Example: A manufacturer provides a service manual showing that a failed component can be removed and replaced, along with a published spare-parts commitment and a directory of authorized service providers. These existing documents can provide supporting information for the Repairable pathway.

How Much Documentation Is Needed?

There is no single document type that is appropriate for every Circular Product Design Characteristic. The information or documentation that is useful will depend on:

The pathway selected
The declared product and applicable component
The nature of the design characteristic
The documentation normally maintained by the manufacturer or other responsible party

Use the documentation you already have whenever possible. You do not need to create a new document specifically for Declare unless the Program Manual specifically requires supporting documentation.

For example:

A service or technical manual might support Designed for Disassembly.
An exploded-view drawing or product diagram might support Designed for Disassembly.
A repair manual or service policy might support Repairable.
A spare-parts policy or replacement-parts information might support Repairable.
A service-center directory or authorized repair network information might support Repairable.

Different types of documentation can be appropriate for different pathways, even for the same product.

Supporting documentation submitted within a Declare submission is used for program review and is not currently published on the Declare label or product listing.

What If My Documentation Is Not Listed?

The examples on this page are not an exhaustive list of acceptable documentation.

If you have documentation that is not listed here but provides relevant information for the pathway, submit it and provide a brief explanation of how it supports your response.

Living Future will continue to expand this guidance as questions and examples emerge through implementation of Declare 2.1.

Related Guidance

Getting Help

If you encounter a situation that is not addressed here, please share the question with the Declare team at declare.support@living-future.org.