Proposal and feasibility assessment of “tele-inverse manufacturing”

The environmental pollutions caused by uncontrolled e-waste recycling is a pressing issue in the area. Appropriate e-waste management systems are required. The goal of this research is to discuss the long term future scenarios for e-waste recycling system. In the current paper, first, we present basic data which is useful for the scenario assessments. The data is mainly for the Japanese case. The data includes: e-waste amount, e-waste flow, material content in e-waste, LCA of electronics products and recycling costs. Second, we outline the future scenarios for e-waste recycling system. Third, as a scenario for the future e-waste recycling, we propose the tele-inverse manufacturing model. The feature of the model is that the operations for recycling are carried out via remote operations. It could utilize inexpensive wages and could reduce the costs for the processes. As the result, the model possibly promotes resource recycling. We discuss the feasibility of the model from the viewpoint of economical feasibility and technological feasibility.