Optimising the environmental impact of circular product scenarios

The circular economy framework is made up of many loops and principles. There are different business model archetypes and design principles that can help companies to transition towards the circular economy. For a company with the intention to do so, the question arises what combination of all these aspects is most favourable. In this report,...

Greenelec: Product design linked to recycling

GreenElec aims to significantly improve on the resource efficiency of electronics and electronic products. This is accomplished by close cooperation between manufacturers and recyclers. Design guidelines for improved recycling have been formulated and products (lamps and displays) have been redesigned according to these guidelines. Interestingly...

Fall prevention in the bathroom

Falling is an common problem among older people (55 years and over), in the Netherlands only 95.000 elderly are treated in the emergency room because of a fall accident each year, of which 110 victims died after treatment. Four out of ten of these victims has fallen indoors, of which one out of eight was fallen in sanitary facilities. On a...

A systematic and compatible classification of WEEE

Rethinking Eco-design Priorities: The case of the Econova television

Eco-design heuristics (defined as experience-based techniques for problem solving) can play a useful role in helping designers prioritize eco-design strategies. One of these eco-design heuristics (the ‘use phase’ heuristic) is: Frequently used electric and electronic products usually have, over their life span, a dominant impact in the use phase...

Eco-efficiency considerations on the end-of-life of consumer electronic products