Title :
Eco-efficiency of take-back systems of electronic products
Author_Institution :
Fac. of Ind. Design Eng., Delft Univ. of Technol., Netherlands
Abstract :
In order to describe the effectiveness of take-back systems the concept of eco-efficiency is proposed. Basically this is the ratio between environmental gain and cost of the system. The unit of environmental gain is dependent of the main goal to be realised: preliminary results of eco-efficiency calculations (based on data collected from take-back projects) show that the eco-efficiency concept can create valuable insights. Effects of design for environment and design for recycling can be substantiated. Cost and yield of secondary material streams play a pivotal role in determining eco-efficiency. This opposes the traditional idea that material compositions of individual products should be considered first. Avenues for further work are indicated
Keywords :
design for environment; recycling; design for environment; design for recycling; eco-efficiency; eco-efficiency calculations; electronic products; environmental gain; secondary material streams; system cost; take-back projects; take-back systems; Composite materials; Costs; Electronics industry; Europe; Industrial electronics; Inorganic materials; Investments; Logistics; Organic materials; Recycling;
Conference_Titel :
Electronics and the Environment, 1999. ISEE -1999. Proceedings of the 1999 IEEE International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Danvers, MA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5495-8
DOI :
10.1109/ISEE.1999.765891
