The 5th international PLATE conference (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) addresses product lifetimes in the context of sustainability. The PLATE conference, which has been running since 2015, has successfully been able to establish a solid network of researchers around its core theme. The topic has come to the forefront of current (political, scientific & societal) debates due to its interconnectedness with a number of recent prominent movements, such as the circular economy, eco-design and collaborative consumption. For the 2023 edition of the conference, we have encouraged researchers to propose how to extend, widen or critically re-construct thematic sessions for the PLATE conference, and the call is constructed based on these proposals.

The 2023 conference will be organized by Aalto university. Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. Our campus is located in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Sustainability is one of the core areas in Aalto university’s strategy, research and it is included in all our teaching. At Aalto, we create solutions that enable well-being within the planetary boundaries. With us, you get the opportunity to learn, research and do meaningful things in a unique environment: we combine the expertise in science, art, technology and economy to develop creative solutions to the world’s major challenges, such as the climate crisis. We are a community of thousands of students, researchers and experts with passion and expertise for both system-level solutions and rapidly implemented new innovations.