A quantitative method to evaluate the level of material use in lease/reuse systems of electrical and electronic equipment

This paper evaluates if offering Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) as a Product Service System (PSS) reduces material use and waste generation. Three hypothetical EEE lease/reuse and existing product systems in Japan were evaluated by using an indicator, annual product demand. The lease systems appeared to use more materials than the conventional reuse system. Lease systems can reach the same material intensity as conventional reuse systems, if: (1) the number of leased products is reduced, (2) the lifetime of leased products is extended to that of firstly owned products, and (3) the lease system increases the number of reused products in use. Whether a system shortens or extends the lifetime of products appeared to be the key factor to determining material intensity, not whether the system itself was a lease system or a possession system.