Circularity for Electric and Electronic Equipment (EEE), the Edge and Distributed Ledger (Edge&amp;DL) Model

Bjørn Jæger,Terje Andersen

doi:10.3390/su13179924

Abstract

In the transition to a circular focus on electric and electronic products, manufacturers play a key role as the originators of both the products and the information about the products. While the waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive’s contemporary focus is on handling the product as waste after its end of life, the circular economy focuses on retaining the product’s value with a restorative system. The polluter-pays principle requires producers of pollution to bear the costs of handling the pollution, leading to the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle. This requires manufacturers to change their focus from their current passive role of out-sourcing end-of-life treatment to taking explicit responsibility for product management over an extended period of time. This paper investigates how a manufacturer can assume its responsibility to achieve circularity for its products. Based on our findings, three fundamental circularity principles, the circular electric and electronic equipment (CEEE) principles, for manufactures of electronic and electrical equipment are defined: (1) Serialize product identifiers, (2) data controlled by their authoritative source at the edge, and (3) independent actors’ access to edge data via a distributer ledger are the foundation of the Edge and Distributed Ledger (Edge&DL) model. We demonstrate the model through a case study of how to achieve circularity for lighting equipment. The CEEE principles and the demonstrated model contribute to building new circularity systems for electronic and electric products that let manufacturers undertake their extended product responsibility.

Highlights

Accepted: 30 August 2021More than 30 years ago, the term “sustainable development” was introduced in the UN report “Our Common Future” [1]
One overall strategy to achieve more sustainable development is to move from a traditional linear business model, characterized by a take-make-use-dispose approach, to a circular economy (CE) model, in which materials and energy remain in a restorative system [3,4]
Several studies have identified research gaps within e-waste. It has been a call for research on product management by Islam et al [7] who called for product specific network models that consider more product-oriented case studies, as well as more studies on the circular economy in developing infrastructures for sustainable activities

Summary

Introduction

Accepted: 30 August 2021More than 30 years ago, the term “sustainable development” was introduced in the UN report “Our Common Future” [1]. Several studies have identified research gaps within e-waste It has been a call for research on product management by Islam et al [7] who called for product specific network models that consider more product-oriented case studies, as well as more studies on the circular economy in developing infrastructures for sustainable activities. They highlight the minimal focus on reuse and repair within e-waste research. The circularity focus can be seen as the fourth dimension, including a time dimension, securing the protection of further generations for economic, environmental, and social concerns [15]

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