Design Strategies for Developing Sustainable Consumer Electronics

Abstract

Consumer electronics produce a huge amount of waste and harmful residuals every year. This study investigated how to avoid or reduce environmental pollution through the design of consumer electronic products. Through a literature review, analyses, discussions, and case studies, we defined design strategies for developing sustainable consumer electronics. First, material selection should be considered from the perspectives of users, usages, and use environment in accordance with environmental protection requirements. The application of recyclable and remanufacture-able materials is the inexorable trend. Second, electronic products should be designed with simply disassembled structures that employ as many recyclable functional components as possible. Third, the information on the packaging or labels of consumer electronic products should be designed with graphics that are as easy to understand as possible and within an appropriate amount. Moreover, ingenious design solutions that can motivate users positively and actively to alter their environmental protection behaviors are expected.