Abstract

Nowadays there is a higher need of strict and broader legislation in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling industry to reduce environmental effects of WEEE. Environmental challenges include pollution, exhaustion of natural resources, waste management and reduction of landfills. High speed in technological development in many sectors puts many products in great challenge of obsoleting almost immediately after their purchase. In particular, this is the fate for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). They are forever-improving and incorporate state of the art innovations. This provide many benefits; however, at the same time, its expansion results in rapidly growing waste stream of WEEE. WEEE contains a combination of all these situations, including for example, batteries, plastics of quality, precious metals and toxic soldering metals. The reuse and renovation of WEEE are therefore very critical because of its significant ecological environmental impacts. Sustainable development is not a static situation, but a state of dynamic balance between human and environmental system. The current chapter explores sustainability planning and strategies such as eco-design, and design for dismantling and recycling, and what they mean for electronic products. It examines the incentives, methods and tools for sustainable electronic product design, with particular emphasis on reuse, recycling, selection of sustainable materials and processes, and lack of resources.

Highlights

  • Characteristics of sustainable developmentDesigners in broadest sense, including engineers and commercial creators, are still very often part of the current sovereign economic system, aiming at quantitative development as the sole objective of encouraging growing consumerism and wastage due to disposable products

  • There is a third serious crisis that we are already facing: the exhaustion of limited natural resources

  • The waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and RoHS Directives are indicative of a policy strategy of boosting manufacturer accountability for recycling and management funding, reduce the environmental impact of electrical and electronic equipment and promote the recycling of valuable resources [17]

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Summary

Characteristics of sustainable development

Designers in broadest sense, including engineers and commercial creators, are still very often part of the current sovereign economic system, aiming at quantitative development as the sole objective of encouraging growing consumerism and wastage due to disposable products. These cause massive flows of resources from nature to waste disposal areas within a shockingly short period of time and the sale, through advertising and communication, of “goods” that you do not need but promote a modern useless lifestyle as the only desirable model of world prosperity. They need to know about the history, problems and motivations of DFS theory and practice, and should adopt a more participatory practical design by first listening to stakeholders, understanding their problems and motivations, and trying to develop more sustainable solutions [12]

Reuse of parts and materials
Sustainability and eco-design of EEE
Planning principles for sustainability
Life cycle consideration
EEE usage phase
Repair of products in industry
Tools and rules for sustainable design
Repair
Renovation
Reconstruction
Upgrading
The secondary product market
Variability of standards and quality of renovation and reuse
Qualitative criteria for reuse and certification of reuse centers
Design issues in reconstruction
Design for reuse and recycling of EEE
Effects on renovation and reuse
Findings
Conclusions
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