Designing plastics circulation

Designing
plastics
circulation
- electrical and
electronic products
AnneRaudaskoski (Ethica Ltd),
Torben Lenau (Technical University of Denmark)
TapaniJokinen (Ethica Ltd),
AnnaVelander Gisslén (Velander MediaGalax Ltd
Anna-LuiseMetze(Technical University of Denmark)

The purpose of the report is to drive the EEE (electrical and
electronic equipment) sector towards a circular economy.
The case-examples collected for the report show how different
stages of the lifecycle can be designed so that plastics circulation
becomes possible and makes business sense.

3
Designing plastics circulation – electrical and electronic products:
table of contents
Summary of key findings
Chapter 1: Introduction – what is the challenge?
Chapter 2: Embedding Circular Design Across the Lifecycle
Chapter 3: Future of plastics & recommendations

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Materials & chemicals2.2
Product design - reparability, upgradability, modularity
and ease of disassembly
2.3
Circular business model2.4
End-of-life & reverse logistics
2.5
Strategy2.1
Report structure: 5-stage lifecycle model

Summary of findings
(1)
(1) European Electronics Recyclers Association Position Paper: Weee Plastics Recycling Strategy Proposals 2017
Presently most electrical/electronic products (EEE)are not designed for recycling, let alone for
circulation. Plastics in these products accounts for about 20% of material use, and through better
design significant environmental and financial savings could be gained.
For example, using recycled plastic in a electrical/electronic product could reduce the environmental
impact of a single product by over 20%.If all returned WEEE plastics would be recycled in Europe,
estimated CO2 emission reductions would be over 2.5 million metric tonnes per year (1).

Summary of findings
Technologicalsolutionsand circulardesignopportunitiesalready exist, but for various reasonsthey haven’t been
implementedyet. Some challenges,suchas, ease of disassemblycouldbe resolved through better
communicationandsharinglearningsacrossvalue chain. In addition, customers increasinglyexpectcompanies
to take the lead and offer them with more sustainablechoices.
Instead of creating WEEE (Waste Electricaland ElectronicEquipment) we should focus on developing CEEE -
Circular Electricaland ElectronicEquipment.
The ultimate goalshould be in designingandsetting up a system that enablescirculation.In other words, taking
products back and reprocessingmaterialbackto same product over and over again.

Summary of findings: list of
recommendations
Circular Design Principles
Embedding a circular economy vision and approach into the company’s strategy is a first step every company could and should
take. Developing and implementing circular design principles is a concrete way to execute the strategy, and it also ensures that
thecompany is future-fit in a changing andresource-scarce business environment.
Roundtable for Plastics Circulation
Circular design can and should play an important role at each stage of the lifecycle. A roundtable – a high-level platform bringing
together companies and value chain actors to create sector-wide Circular Design Principles – is crucial in order to capture
economic value that is currently lost due to linear design. Taking a broader view; a great many current challenges and linear
practices could be addressed through a closer value chain collaboration. Brands could learn from recyclers and take these
learnings into their circular design processes and vice versa; recyclers could tailor their offerings based on the specific needs of
each customer.
In addition, there are currently a number of different ways of handling and recycling plastics; there is a need to set up bigger
clusters for side stream management to drive up volumes and economic viability. Various networks exist, such as WEEE Forum
and Next Wave andmany others, that could join forces andtake the lead on this. Producer responsibility organisations in the EU
member states could also be catalysts of change; for example, ESR has created an ecosystem around the WEEE industry to
develop more efficient and effective collection and treatment systems in France.

recommendations
Material identification& circular material choices
A prerequisite for thehighest possible value captureis material identification. Incorrect markings on plastics have
resulted in a situation whereby recyclers don’t trust themarkings and therefore different types of plastics are not
separated even if it were technologically possible.
Coupled with theissueof identification is theopportunity to harmoniseplastics use. Going through different
polymer types usedin production and shifting to themost commonly usedpolymers is an effective way to
contributeto recycling. However, this inventory shouldbe done in collaboration with thesector, as it has a direct
impact on recyclers. If recyclers knew what polymertypes were coming in, they could makenecessary investments
in novel technologies, thus resulting in a more consistent quality of material. Furthermore, designing out chemicals
and additives improves circulation opportunities significantly.

recommendations
Legislation
A requirement for using recycled content would speed up the market transition towards circularity. In addition, requirements
for circular design principles, especially reparability, modularity, upgradability, and ease of disassembly could be first
encouraged in the form of sector-wide principles and gradually formulated into requirements. Removing existing barriers,
such as transporting e-waste across borders within the EU, is equally important. Nordic countries are well positioned to build
a Nordic Cluster of harmonisation for a take-back recycling system tosupport scalability.

recommendations
Embeddingenvironmental calculations intothe decision-making process
To operate within planetary boundaries it is necessary to ensure that products are designed, manufactured and
circulated in such a way as truly takes us closer to a circular economy. Calculating avoided environmental costs provides
a good business caseand foundation for decision-making when starting a circular journey.

Definition of Circular economy =
a restorative and regenerative industrial system, where waste and
emissions are designed out through slowing, closing, and narrowing
material and energy loops (2).
Definition of Circular design =
Based on lifecycle approach covering the whole internal process
consisting of 1) R&D 2) design 3) circular business model
development
(2) Adaptedfrom:Ellen MacArthurFoundation &MartinGeissdoerferetal.inJournal of CleanerProduction:TheCircularEconomy -a new
sustainabilityparadigm?()2017

Chapter 1:
Introduction – what is the
challenge?

14
Design is the key to move towards a circular economy from the linear take-make-waste economic model; 80% of environmental
pollution and 90% of manufacturing costs are the result of decisions made at the product design stage (3). Presently most
electrical/electronic products (EEE) are not designed for recycling, let alone for circulation. Plastics in these products account for
about 20% of material use, and through better design could generate huge environmental and financial savings.
Globally the amount of e-waste is projected to grow rapidly; by 2021 there will be 52 million tonnes of e-waste (including PCs,
laptops, smartphones, tablets and monitors but excluding a wide range of other electrical equipment such as refrigerators, lighting,
measuring devices, etc.). By 2040 carbon emissions and emissions from use of the above electronics will reach 14% of total global
emissions(4). It is estimated that globally all plastic production and plastic waste incineration will generate 400 million tonnes of
CO2 emissions.
The annual plastic demand in Europe is 52 million tonnes, of which plastics used in electrical and electronic products count for
6.2%. Combined with the automotive industry, these two sectors use nearly 16.3% of plastics, which equals 8.5 million tonnes per
year (5). The quantity of plastic waste from EEE sources in the EU is around 1.2 million tonnes per year(6). According to estimates,
reuse of PCR plastics in EEE is estimated below 1% (RDC Environment 2017)(7).
Using recycled plastic in an electrical/electronic product could reduce the environmental impact of a single product by over 20%(8).
Instead of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), we should focus on developing CEEE: Circular Electrical and
Electronic Equipment.
Context
(3) EuropeanParliament:http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2018-0165_EN.html
(4) A New CircularVisionfor Electronics -Timefora Global Reboot(2019)
(5) (5) Plastics-the facts2018,PlasticsEurope
https://www.plasticseurope.org/application/files/6315/4510/9658/Plastics_the_facts_2018_AF_web.pdf
(6) EuropeanElectronicsRecyclersAssociationPositionPaper:WeeePlasticsRecyclingStrategyProposals(2017)
(7) CLOSEWEEE project:Reportonproposed EcodesignPolicyConceptand recommendationtostrengthenDesignforRecyclingandtheusage
of post-consumer recycledplasticsinnew products(2018)
(8) NordicCouncil of Ministers:Nordicplasticvaluechains-CaseWEEE(WasteElectrical and ElectronicEquipment)(2015)

Circular design plays a key role in a
systemic transition towards a
circular economy.
The change starts with design at
each lifecycle stage.

(9) PlasticWasteMarkets:Overcomingbarrierstobetterresourceutilisation(2018);Nordicplasticvaluechains-CaseWEEE(Waste
Electrical and ElectronicEquipment)(2015
(10)Nordic ProgrammetoReducetheEnvironmental impact of Plastics(2017)
(11) European Strategyfor Plasticsin a Circular Economy(2018)
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The following pages focus particularly on the crucial role of design. How can design further the sustainable use of plastic and
the transition towards a circular economy? Which key factors from the design point of view enable the circulation of plastics
and what hinders closing the loop?
The report introduces the concept of circular design and takes a step beyond Design for Recycling (DFR), which was called for in
the previous Nordic Council of Ministers reports(9) as a way to improve plastics recycling and reduce the environmental impact.
The ultimate goal should be designing and setting up a system that enables circulation – in other words, taking products back
and reprocessing material back to the same product over and over again.
The text builds on the Nordic Programme to Reduce the Environmental impact of Plastics(10) and the EU Strategy for Plastics in
a Circular Economy, which presents that in the future ‘design and production of plastics and plastic products fully respect reuse,
repair and recycling’(11).
Context

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A number of leading brands, plastic recyclers, and experts were interviewed for this report. Their case
examples show that there is huge business potential in improving plastics circulation. Customers
increasingly expect companies to take the lead and offerthem more sustainable choices. Moreover,
these brands show that necessary changes in design principles and manufacturing processes can and
should be made to keep the existing plastics in use as long as possible. Now it is time to take a leap in
material flow management and scale up these circular solutions across the industry.
We would like to thank all the interviewees as well as CEO Pascal Leroy of WEEE Forum and PolyCE
Project Coordinator Gergana Dimitrova of Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration
IZM for reviewing the text.
Context

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● What are the organisation’sdesignprinciplesandhow are they implemented?
● In what ways designapproachesand practicesaim for sustainable circularity?
● How reparability,upgradability,modularityand ease of disassemblyofthe product have been addressed?
● What is the policyon chemicals&hazardous substances?
● What is the end-of-lifestrategy?
● Does the business model supportthe goal of decouplinggrowth from the use of virginraw materialsand
natural resources?
Context: key research questions

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Context: list of interviewed organisations
Organisation Area BtB/BtC
Fujitsu ICT software & services and IT equipment BtB/BtC
Oticon Hearing aids BtC
Zen Robotics AI based recycling technology BtB
Dell ICT solutions and IT equipment BtB/BtC
Philips Health care products,consumer electronics BtB
Energy Authority Legislation BtB/BtC
Finnish Plastics Industries Federation Plastics industry membership organisation B2B
Ensto Electricalsolutions BtB
Fortum Recycler BtB
Kuusakoski Recycler BtB
Plastix Plasticrecycler BtB
Plastkretsen Plasticrecycler BtB
Sustonable Kitchenand bathroompanels BtB
Volvo Transport BtB/BtC
Novo Nordisk Medicalproducts BtC
Ohmatex Electronictextiles BtB
Inrego Refurbished consumer electronics BtC
Fisher-Lighting LED lighting BtB
Body-bikeInternational Fitness bikes BtB
B&O Consumer electronics BtC
Electrolux Consumer electronics BtC
MatKon Consumer electronics BtC
Neste Recycler BtB

Instead of WEEE (Waste
Electrical and Electronic
Equipment)
we should focus on developing
CEEE - Circular Electrical and
Electronic Equipment.

Chapter 2:
Embedding Circular Design
Across the Lifecycle

2.1 Strategy
A company level commitment is a
‘must-have’ to implement all the
other circularityaspects along the
lifecycle
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“It’s more than just environmentalstrategy
– it’s good business”.
- Dell
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2.1. Strategy: Circular economy as a
strategy
Many forerunner companies have already embedded circular economy into their strategies. This is reflected directly in the
company’s R&D, as the whole approach and many internal processes need to change when transitioning from a linear take-make-
wasteto acircular wayof thinking, operating anddoing business.
Traditionally, design based on linear-economy thinking mainly focuses on the manufacturing and use phase through, for example,
optimal material choices, energy efficiency, functionality and aesthetics, and it is based on the linear business model of ‘selling
more & selling faster’.
Circular design plays a key role in a systemic transition towards a circular economy and no matter what lifecycle stage is in
question, the change starts with designing, for example, which safe and non-toxic materials are used and how the product can
be easily disassembled for repair, reuse and remanufacturing. As circular economy aims to decouple growth from the use of
virgin raw materials and natural resources and eliminate pollution and waste ( there is no waste in the nature, everything is raw
material), circular design approach can be regarded as a tooltoachieve thesegoals.
In this report we use the term ‘circular design(12)
’ to describe the whole internal process consisting of 1) R&D 2) design 3) business
model development. Circular design plays a key role in a systemic transition towards a circular economy. No matter what lifecycle
stage is in question, the change starts with designing, for example, which safe and non-toxic materials are used and how the
product can be easily disassembled for repair, reuse and remanufacturing. As circular economy aims to decouple growth from the
use of virgin raw materials and natural resources, eliminating pollution and waste (there is no waste in nature; everything is raw
material), a circular design approach can be regarded as a toolto achieve thesegoals.
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(12) Othercommonlyused term is eco-designalthough eco-designoften aims formore
environmentally friendly design withinthe currentlinear system and it excludes circularbusiness model development.

2.1 Strategy: Circular economy as a
strategy
Circular design, instead, takes a lifecycle view covering materials & chemicals, manufacturing, logistics, business model, use, and
end-of-life (or second life) stages. It aims for long-term value maintenance through circulating products and materials endlessly in
biological (renewable materials) or technical (non-renewable) cycles using only clean energy. Why is business model development
regarded as part of the circular design process? Because the product needs to be designed in a way that enables, for example,
maintenance and repair services, selling the product as a service, the use of sharing platforms, and eventually taking the product back
for disassembly andremanufacturing purposes.
Accordingly, circular design is much more than just design; it becomes a strategic tool steering the way business is conducted. It is
necessary, therefore, to establish circular economy as a strategy at company level to maximise the business benefits of the circular
design approach.
Currently there are no industry-wide circular design guidelines for electrical and electronic products which would facilitate better
plastics circulation(13)
. At the moment, the interest is in recycling valuable metals, but as the world is moving towards circularity and
the amount of EEE is growing fast, plastics need to be used in a more circular fashion. Leading companies have addressed the issue
by developing their own set of company-level circular or eco-design principles and processes along with concrete goals to move
towards a circular way of operating, thus ensuring they are in the best position to meet the resource-scarce future. A company-level
commitment is a‘must-have’ in order to implement all theother circularity aspects along thelifecycle.
(13) Designingwithrecycled plasticsguide offersinfoand case examples ofcompanies using recycledplastics
in their manufacturing(2015)https://www.partnersforinnovation.com/media/Guidelines-designing-with-
recycled-plastics.pdf 25

Case study: EcoDesign at Philips
Philipshasdeveloped an EcoDesign
processwith six key Green Focal Areas
for improved environmental
performance– Energy, Packaging,
Substances, Weight & Materials,
Circularityand Lifetime.
The Circularityfocalarea is about
recovery, reuse and increasingrecycled
materialsin the products as well as
designingforeasy disassembly,
upgradability,recyclabilityandproduct-
as-a-servicebusinessmodel.
26

Case study: EcoDesign at Philips
Philipsoperatesboth in B2B and B2C sectors. In B2B operations, Philipshasset a
target for closingthe loop by 2020 through getting all its healthcare equipment
back for remanufacturing. A target is to use onlyrecycledplasticsininner parts
of the consumer electronicproducts by 2025. Alongwith more colour options
and visual quality the amount of recycledplasticscanbe increasedto external
parts.
Philipsaimsto shift its businessmodel from ownershipto providingsolution
driven services. In practicethis means moving from sellingto harnessingthe
product-as-a-servicemodeland providingmaintenanceandrepair servicesto
customers.
As a result of its circulardesignwork Philips hasintroduced a number of
consumer lifestyleproductsmade of recycledplastics(recycledcontentvarying
from 13%–95%), such as vacuum cleaners, coffeemachinesand steam iron.
Image: Philips web page. Performer vacuum
cleaners use recycled plastic 25-47% of parts
27

Case study:
Design for Environment at Dell
A central part of Dell’s approach is to consider sustainability at every stage of product’s lifecycle – from the initial design concept to its
use and eventual recycling. Dell has named the process as Design for Environment. The goal is to achieve zero waste by ensuring that
every part of the product can be reused or recycled. Dell’s design principles consist of six key areas:
1) Recyclability ofmaterials.
2) Modularity: The majority of components found inside Dell products are easily removable, with standardized parts. This makes
iteasier to reuse or recyclethem.
3) Easy disassembly: all parts areeasilyseparablewith commonly foundtools.
4) Minimal glues and adhesives: Glues and adhesives can create processing challenges for recyclers, so Dell has come up with
other methods,such as innovativesnapfits, to accomplish the samedesign goals.
5) Restrictions on paints and coatings: Dell prefers integral finishes instead of exterior coatings, which can interfere with the
recycling process or degrade certain plastics during processing. If paint is the only option, Dell uses paint that is compatible with
recycling.
6) Single-access service door:easy access for repair andrecycling.
In 2014 Dellset up a closed-loop recycled plastics supply chain. This means that Dell can recover plastics from old computers and
process them into new parts for new products. Dell’s closed-loop plasticparts are nowadays usedin over 100 different products.
Dell XPS 13 laptop
28

2.2 Materials &
chemicals
Harmonising plastic use
Material identification
Phasing out chemicals & additives
Using recycled plastic
Plastic replacing other materials
29

“Manufacturers should agree on the type and
amount of polymers they use in their products.”
- Energy Authority Finland
30
‘

2.2 Materials & chemicals:
Presently there is no focus on the variety of components composition. The biggest material
use in both weight and CO2 impact is steel and the second one is plastic. This includes the
thermoplastic materials PP, PS and ABS, plus smaller amounts of engineering plastics (that
can be remelted and reused) and PUR, which is a thermoset material that cannot be
remelted.
PUR is, for instance, used in refrigerators as a very effective insulation material but would
require chemical breakdown to be recycled for use in the same application. Instead, PUR is
recycled into new applications such as insulation panels and noise absorbers or as a powder
for absorbing spills (e.g. oil spills) on land or in water. Thermoplastic components, on the
other hand, are sorted out in the recycling process by polymer type and remelted and reused
in different applications.
31

One of the current barriers for recyclers to processing plastics coming from electrical/electronic products is the
sheer amount of different polymers.
“There are roughly around 500 000 different polymers in the world; 470 000 of them are used in technical
products. This is the reason we don’t process WEEE plastics.” (Fortum)
One feasible solution to reduce the huge variety would be that manufacturers agree on the types of plastics and
different polymers they use in their products, this would scale up more pure material stream volumes and make it
financially more viable to invest in new recycling technologies.
The PolyCe14 (Post-consumer high-tech recycled polymers for a Circular Economy) project’s recommendation is to
use polymers with known high recyclability rate, such as ABS, HIPS, PS, PP in parts such as housings, frames etc.,
which are significant also in terms of weight.
Another opportunity is to harness the platform design approach, which means that parts are standardised so that
they can be used in several products. The production volume of the platform is much larger than the volume of the
single product. This means that there is better economy in planning circularity, a longer lifetime, more options for
repair, etc.
(14) https://www.polyce-project.eu/
32

Case study: Novo Nordisk
harmonising plastic use
Novo Nordisk decided to use as few types of plastics in their insulin pens as possible. For one of the prefilled
devices (insulin pens that are disposed of when empty), only PP and POM plastic materials were used. The two
plastic types are easily separated utilising their different density. This means it is realistic to make an automatic
recycling system where the pens are broken down mechanically into small pieces and then sorted in a liquid
separator resulting in fairly pure material fraction that can be reused.
The major challenge in recycling is the return logistics – the diabetic patients could, for example, hand in their used
pens at the pharmacy when picking up new supplies. Pharmacies (in Denmark) already receive many types of
medical waste like pill boxes, unused medicine and insulin pens. But for economic (and safety) reasons the
pharmacy does not sort the waste, but delivers it to an authorised waste handler. If the economic model is right
(and medical products are designed with recycling in mind) pharmacies and/or the waste handlers could sort the
waste products allowing for very pure material fractions.
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material identification
Different plastic types are marked, but according to the interviewees the markings are not correct,
which results in a supplychaindomino effect.
“Kuusakoski bought an expensive recycling processor from Germany which could read the die cut
identification code in a piece of plastics to improve separation. We started getting reclamations
from our clients that the plastic we sold them didn’t correlate with the markings, which, in turn
disrupted their processes. It turned out that the manufacturers’ identification codes were not
correct, but they didn’t care about it. We had to stop using the processor.“ - Kuusakoski Recycling
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phasing out chemicals & additives
Apart from the basic chemical building blocks a range of other chemicals can be found in plastics. These other chemicals are referred
toas additives and servepurposes such as 15.
· Functional additives (stabilisers, antistatic agents, flame retardants, plasticisers, lubricants, slip agents, curing agents, foaming
agents, biocides, etc.)
· Colourants (pigments, solubleazocolourants, etc.)
· Fillers (mica, talc, kaolin, clay, calcium carbonate, barium sul-phate)
· Reinforcements (e.g. glass fibres, carbon fibres)
Furthermore, there can be residual chemicals from the production process, e.g. catalysts like antimony or uncured monomers (the
basic building blocks that makeup the polymer chains).
For electronic products the most common plastic types are ABS, HIPS and PC. Additives that draw attention in recycling include fire
retardants (e.g. BrominatedFlame Retardants or BFRs), heavy metals (e.g. lead for stabilisers and pigment, cadmium for pigment and
antimony for catalysing flame retardant) and reinforcements for improved stiffness. The BRF represent the biggest challenge to
recycling since they are widely present in much WEEE plastic in particular CRT (cathode ray tube) casings. The basic plastic types are
simple to separate using density separation but the additives are more difficult to deal with. The WEEE directive set rules for fire
protection which means that the plastics have to go through mechanical recycling as opposed to energy recovery (incineration) that
can causeunwantedpollution16
.
(15) . N. Hahladakis,C.A.Velis,R.Weber,E.Iacovidou,and P.Purnell,Anoverview of chemical additivespresentinplastics:Migration,
release,fateand environmentalimpactduringtheiruse,disposal and recycling,J.Hazard.Mater.,vol.344,pp.179–199,2018.
(16)L. Tange,J.Van Houwelingen,W.Hofland,F.Kohl,M.Kearns,P. Salemis,and N.Mendad,Recyclingofplasticscontainingflame retardantsin electronicwaste,
a technicaland environmentalchallenge fora sustainable solution,PMIConf., 2012. 35

phasing out chemicals & additives
Antimony is rare element in the earth crust and is mainly produced in China. Need is expected to rise in the coming years, making it more attractive to recover
theantimony through therecycling process17.
According to recyclers, various chemicals - especially a group of brominated flame retardants (BRFs) comprise one of the biggest barriers for EEE plastic
recycling. Additives, such as glass fibre and heavy metals, also pose a challenge for recyclers. Phasing out chemicals and additives is to a large extent a design
question. For instance, the CLOSEWEEE18 project found that flame retardants used in TV back covers could be eliminated through changes in design, which
makes recycling of backcovers easier.
The PolyCe Project19 has created a set of guidelines on the use of chemicals and additives to improvethe circulationof plastics:
● Use only commonand easily recyclable plastics (ABS, PC, PC/ABS, PP, HIPS, PA).
● Do not use thermosets.If thermosets are necessary they should have another density than the commonplastics used.
● Do not use elastomers.If elastomers are necessary, they should have another density than the commonplastics used.
● Do not use halogenated polymers(e.g. PVC, PTFE).
● Do not use heavy-metal-based lubricants and plasticisers.
● Do not use polyoxymethylene (POM).
● Do not use silicone compounds,oils or greases.
● Do not use montanic acid ester.
● Avoidcoatings (painting, lacquering,plating, galvanizing)
● Do not use glass fibres or carbon fibres. If reinforcementis needed, prefer talc.
● Avoidmoulding different plastic types together by 2K or xK processes.
● Use one single polymerin plastic casing parts>100g.
● Avoidusing connectionsthat enclose a material permanently.
(17) M. Schlummerand F.Wolff,Recoveryof PolymerAdditivesfromWEEEPlastics,CloseWEEEWorkshop,Freising,2018.
(18) CLOSEWEEE: http://closeweee.eu/
(19)A. Berwald,‘PolyCE –Deliverable2.2 –Requirement-specificpriorityplasticsguide’,2018.
36

Case study: Designing out
chemicals
Oticon A/S, a hearing aid manufacturer based in Copenhagen (Denmark) has enforced extra specifications, for
example, a ban on the use of phthalates and natural rubber latex. Working with the restricted list ensures full
transparency on the use of hazardous substances, compliance with relevant directives and the opportunity to set a
higher bar than the external required or recommended standards. They are developing a risk-based approach
where material compliance is not only secured by supplier declarations, but also via material analysis for high risk
materials.
Fischer-Lighting has used recycled plastic in its lamp. To give plastic more strength, talc is added instead of glass
fibre, which makes recycling easier.
There is a special focus on non-toxic materials at BODY-BIKE International: for example, a handle bar coming from
a German supplier has to be without any toxic substances to protect the user (a lot of of skin contact) as well as the
environment.
Hearing aid pic
Fisher-Lighting
Kartell Bourgie Lamp
Body-Bike Smart
37

increasing the use of recycled plastic
According to our interviewees, using recycled plastic requires a different design approach and different processing than virgin plastic
and can be challenging in the beginning. However, interviewed brands regarded this as only one R&D challenge amongst others; when
there is a company level commitment to using recycled plastics, required know-how can be built along with required changes in the
processes to ensure a high qualityof plastic.
Another challenge to overcome is the chicken and egg problem; a situation whereby recyclers do not process plastics if there is no
market for them and brands cannot buy recycled plastics because there is no supply. Big brands can take the lead on this and start
working with plastic recyclers to find the right quality and make a commitment to buy the processed plastics as the car-maker Volvo
has done:
“We encountereda catch 22, where we wanted reusedplastics butthe providers didn’thave itin the rightquality.Thenthere’s
the reuse business thatdoesn’tprocess itas they don’tthinkthere’sa marketfor it. Therefore we wanted to setthatambition [at
least25% recycled plasticin each newcar] to showthatthere’s a market, we wantthis.” -Volvo
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increasing the use of recycled plastic
Besides bringing many environmental benefits, using recycled plastics also makes business sense; scaling
up the volumes results in biggersavings.
“The most important driving force is that it is green, which helps improve our overall environmental
performance by reducing impacts from materials, and something which is used to market certain
products. But using recycled plastic can also be a cost benefit, as it is often cheaper.” - Electrolux
The French ESR has created a tool calledReeecyclabfor producers to evaluate the recyclabilityofa
product, test alternatives and identifyareas for improvement.
39

Case study: working with
recycled plastic
Electrolux has established an Internal Recycling Taskforce, which includes representatives from each
Electrolux sector, purchasing, R&D, production and product lines to define the commitment’s scope,
targets and action points. The main activities are to find reliable and high-quality material suppliers,
and to identify the best opportunities within each product category for replacing virgin materials with
recycledmaterials– either within the existingdesignor by adaptingthe designfor recycledmaterial.
Electrolux has set a target to replace virgin plastic with recycled plastic and increase the amount of
recycled plastic in products to 20,000 tonnes per year. Electrolux has calculated that CO2 emissions
resulting from the production of virgin plastic are equivalent to the emissions from operations and
transport activities combined, so the positive environmental impact from recycled plastic is significant.
Electrolux vacuum cleaner pic from web site
40

Case study: working with
recycled plastic
Sony has developed SORPLASTM, plastic made of waste optical discs and leftover film from Sony and other
factories as well as post-consumer materials, such as plastic water bottles. SORPLAS is used in TVs and cameras.
The flame retardant in SORPLAS is sulphur-based, which allows much higher use of recycled plastic in the product
than conventional flame retardants. According to Sony, sulphur-based flame retardant does not weaken the
quality of plastics, so it can be recycled several times without the loss of high quality.
At least 25 percent of the plastics used in every newly launched Volvo car will be made from recycled material from
2025 onwards. As the lifespan of the car can be long, Volvo is also using recycled plastics from other industries, for
example, the packaging industry.
Plastix A/S is a sustainable cleantech plastic fibre recycling startup company that targets the niche of waste stream
marine plastic pollution, such as fishing nets (HDPE) and ropes (some are PP), and helps turn it into oceans-based
plastic products to supply the automotive industry, high-end furniture industry, packaging industry and brand
owners.
41

Case study: plastic replacing other
materials
Volvo uses around 200kg of plastics (16–17% of all materials used) in each car. Replacing
heavier materials, like steel, with plastics makes the vehicle lighter. A lighter vehicle means
less fuel consumption and smaller carbon footprint. In addition, using plastics instead of
leather inside the car also means emission savings.
Ohmatex is a smart textile technology company and a good example of how the use of other
materials like copper and aluminium metals for electrical conductors can be minimised when
integrated into garments. Ohmatex produces electrical-conducting textiles with built-in
electrodes and electrical wires based on polymer fibres. The use of metal is much less than if
separate wires were used.
Volvo xc60 Clean Seas
42

2.3 Product design –
reparability,
upgradability,
modularity and ease
of disassembly
43

“The point of manufacturing and design is where it all
starts. Whatever they do at that point, will determine how
the product will be used, re-used and re/upcycled.”
- MatKon
44

2.3 Product Design
Reparability, upgradability, modularity and ease of disassembly (RUMED) are circular design strategies which play a vital
part in the following:
● Extendingthe life-span ofthe product
● Enablingworn-out/broken parts to be replacedinsteadofreplacingthe entire product
● Enablingsoftware to be upgraded without havingto buy a newproduct
● Enabling remanufacturing through easy disassembly, thus being able to recover components without
destroyingthem
There are many business benefits for applying these RUMED strategies; from the customer perspective it creates loyalty
and trust towards the brand. The overall customer experience is improved when the product is durable, spare parts and
upgrades are available and repair service works seamlessly.
“The overall experience of a product that unfortunately breaks but then is quickly repaired often
creates a bigger customer satisfaction than just replacing the broken product. Many customers really
value the fact that the product is possible to repair and not wasted. So there’s real a business
advantage to provide this service.” - Electrolux
45

Case study: harnessing RUMED
strategies
Philipsoffersrepair manualsand software updates and sellsspare parts in its onlineshop. They have also
set up an onlineDIY shop, which offers guidanceon repairingPhilipsproducts.
Dell has phased out glues and uses standardisedsnap fits for ease of disassembly.Theyhave also
standardisedcomponentsfor easier reuse.
Fujitsu follows3R designprinciplesthat focus on reduce, reuse, and recycle.Fujitsu is makingefforts to
improve resource efficiency,whichismade possiblebydesigningproducts to be lighter and smaller,
using recycledplastics,reducingthe number of parts, enhancingease of disassemblyandimproving
recyclability.Inaddition, Fujitsu's own 3-D Virtual Product Simulator (VPS), is used during the product
designprocess, to test the steps involvedand the convenienceofproduct assemblyand disassembly
before creatingprototypes.
46

Case study: harnessing RUMED
strategies
Oticon’s products are designed for repair. Thespeakers in RITEinstruments havefilters toprotect them from earwax andtoprolong the
lifetime of thespeaker unit for theear. Theend users can change thefilters as well. Theouterplastic shell can be exchanged if it breaks.
Plasticbattery drawers are handled by end users when changing smallbatteries. They are designedwith high strength material to
reduce the risk of breaking, but they are also designed to break first, before more critical components get destroyedwhen overloaded.
Battery drawers can be replaced if they are overloaded.
Fischer-Lighting supplies new LED lighting units tobe retrofitted intoexisting lamps, easing the transition from older types of lighting
sources.
BODYBIKEInternationalproduces spin bicycles for gyms. Thebicycles are made from stainless steeland partially recycled plasticand
are exposed toextensivewear andcorrosive environment (sweat). Thebicycles are therefore designed for easy disassembly to make
repair easy andrealistic. Old bicycles are refurbished and soldtoprivate customers.
B&O works in close collaboration with DTU andAalborg University on areadiness assessment, extendedlifetime, improveddurability
and circular economy toinclude more design rules in their futuredesign work. Design rules such as design for disassembly, design for
reparability, design for environment, and design for reducing harmful substances arebeing introduced intothe design stage.
47

2.3 Product Design: value
chain collaboration
Value chain collaboration could and should be strengthened to increase plastics circulation. Bringing manufacturers and
recyclers together enables mutual learning: manufacturers can improve their internal design and manufacturing
processes to improve, for example, ease of disassembly of plastics, and recyclers can develop and offer tailored plastic
grades for manufacturers according to specifications.
"Regarding plastic and circularity, partnering up with others is a must. In circular economy you have to
do that, it is SDG 17 ( the UN Sustainable Development Goal: ‘Strengthen the means of
implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development’) that we relate to
and discuss this with our partners. So yes, partnerships – absolutely.” - Volvo
48

Case study: Learning from each other
Fujitsu organisestours for designersin their recyclingcentresto facilitatediscussionand learningbetween
the two parties. Designerscan then applythese learningsintotheir designprocessesto promote
disassemblyandrecycling.
Philipsuses co-creationdesignmethods with recyclersandrecycledmaterial suppliersto build common
expertise on how to improve the qualityof recycledplastics.
Fischer-Lightingcollaboratedwith3XN, a Danisharchitectural company,to designan award-winninglamp
with recycledplastic.The plasticwas suppliedby PlastixA/S, a Danish cleantechrecyclingcompany
specializedinconvertingfibres,primarilyused fishnets, trawls and ropes into high-quality,virgin-likerHDPE
and rPPC green plasticraw materials. This presents a solutionto a substantialwaste problem, contributes to
a more circulareconomy, reduces the amount of waste to landfills,oceanplasticwaste, and CO2 emissions,
as well as prevents a valuable resource from being lost. Plastixalso provides consultancyservicesto help
customers transform the high-qualitymaterialinto innovative, and in this case modular,products.
49

2.4 Circular
Business
Models
50

2.4 Circular
Business Models
Circular business models (CBM) refer to ways of doing and developing business through
decoupling growth from the increasing use of virgin raw materials and natural resources. Unlike
the linear business model which is based on selling high volumes with faster purchase cycles
(“sell more, sell faster”) and consequently exhausting our natural ecosystems and material
reserves, CBM ideally aims for one planet business logic, i.e. sustainable growth that operates
within the planetaryboundaries.
One way to explore this critical topic is Earth Overshoot Day20, which calculates each year the
date by which the planet’s ecological resources and services have been used up (in 2018 the
global Earth Overshoot Day was 1 August), and the rest of the year we operate in a growing
ecological deficit. CBMs, therefore, play an important role in our effort to move towards a
sustainableway of doingbusiness.
(20)World OvershootDay:https://www.overshootday.org/
51

2.4 Circular
Business Models
Circular business models can be classified in thefollowing way:
1) Access and performance model: in this model, the user can access and use the product without owning it, also
called a ‘product-service system’.
2) Extending product value: a business model whereby the manufacturer reuses or remanufactures old products
through take-back programmes.
3) Classic long-life model and encourage sufficiency: focus is on long-lasting and durable products and offering
maintenance/repair services to support the user’s ability and willingness to keep the product in use as long as
possible.
4) Extending resource value: this business model refers to turning waste into useful raw material and decreasing or
replacing virgin material altogether.
5) Industrial symbiosis: this modelrefers toclose physical proximity and collaboration between companies.
Although CBMs are often presented in the form of the above list, in reality they overlap and complement each other, thus
forming ‘hybrid’ CBMs. For example, designing and manufacturing high-quality products (No 3: Classic long life model and
encourage sufficiency) is a prerequisite for access and performance model (No 1). For the company, it is always important
toexplore all CBM opportunities tomaximisethecircularity of operations.
52

Case study: Moving towards a
circular business model
Philips wants to move from the ownership and selling the product to access and performance model, which enables
them to retain the material ownership for reuse and remanufacturing purposes.
Volvo’s new mission is ‘Freedom to Move’ and the company wants to become a service provider creating closer
relationship with the consumer. In 2018 Volvo launched M, a service providing on-demand access to cars and services
through an intuitive app. Learning the user’s preferences and behaviour, Volvo’s software development aims to give a
feeling that the car understands the user through the personalised application. Through the service model, Volvo is
able to reuse and remanufacture car parts more easily.
MatKon Group consists of MatKon Refurbish, MatKon ProService and MatKon Data, and specialises in dealing with
manufacturers, re-sellers and operators of electronic products (e.g. IT/IP equipment, vacuum robots, coffee machines).
They offer services for the telecom industry by repairing and refurbishing used routers and TV boxes. MatKon
collaborates with Kirppu ( specialised flea markets, 13 stores in Denmark), where you can buy a refurbished PC with a
15% buy-back price, if returned at end-of-life. The recycle and resell concept extends the lifetime and the value of the
product.
Bang & Olufsen (B&O) produces expensive high-end audio and video equipment. The B&O products represent design
icons of high value and there are third party shops specialising in refurbishing used B&O products and to sell them
again.
Source: Nancy M.P. Bocken et al (2016): Product design and business model strategies for a circular economy inJournal of Industrial and Production
Engineering 53

2.5 End-of-life &
reverse logistics
54

2.5 End-of-life
Organising reverse logistics to get products/material back for reuse and remanufacturing
purposes often goes hand in hand with setting up a CBM (circular businessmodel).
Considering the product’s end-of-life as part of the design process is a crucial element of
making circulation happen. For example, removing glues makes it easier to recover
components.
In a linear economy companies have optimised their production lines and logistics as a
one-way street being efficient in transporting products out to be sold, but taking
products or materialsback for reprocessingrequiresa differentstructuring of operations.
Getting products back (so called take-back programme) for reuse, remanufacturing and
finally for recycling requires reverse logistics, facilities for disassembly and designing and
setting up a system for remanufacturing. These operations can be performed through
either by the companyitselfor through setting up partnerships.
55

Case study: Organising
end-of-life stage
Fujitsu has set up recyclingcentresacrossJapan to take-back old ICT products, where
products are disassembled,sorted and recycled.Materialsrecognitionequipmenthas
been introduced for plasticsthat are difficultto discriminatebetween, so as to allow the
completesegregationof differenttypes of plastic.Plasticsare sorted into 20 different
streams for remanufacturing and recyclingpurposes.
Inrego has built a businessbased on the end-of-lifestage and set up an economically
feasibletake-backsystem. Inrego extends the life-spanofold computers, mobilephones
and other IT equipment through buyingthem back, erasingall data, and repairingand
upgradingthem for a secondlife cycle.Products are then sold or rented with a warranty
to customers.
56

Case study: Dell
closed-loop
plastic recycling
Dell set up a closed-loop plastic
recycling process in 2014. To date Dell
has used nearly 50 million kg of recycled
plasticin their products21.
(21) https://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/circular-economy?c=us&l=en&s=corp&cs=uscorp1
57

Case study: Benefits of closed-loop
recycling
In addition to long-term value maintenance, a closed-loop
system generates significant environmental benefits. In
2015 Dell conducted a study22
which found that closed-
loop ABS plastic resulted in avoided environmental costs
of $1.3 million annually compared to the use of virgin ABS
plastic. Accordingly, the natural capital net benefit of
closed-loop ABS vs. virgin ABS was 44% (natural capital
calculations include a range of environmental metrics,
such as climate change, ecotoxicity, water pollution,
respiratory effects, fossil fuel depletion, smog, air
pollution and human health). According to the same
study, avoided environmental costs would be $700
millions/per year if the entire computer sector would use
recycled ABS insteadof virgin ABS plastic.
(22) https://i.dell.com/sites/doccontent/corporate/corp-comm/en/documents/circular-economy-net-benefits.pdf?newtab=true
58

"The Circular Economy and the UN Sustainable Development
Goals will radically change the way we operate our businesses. We
can, in the very near future, expect legislative frameworks
requiring design for disassembly, design for recyclability, deposit
and return systems, extended producer responsibility, tracking
and marking systems for traceability, and perhaps even
requirements of using mono-polymers, instead of mixing different
types of polymers, which currently poses a barrier for
recyclability.”- Plastix A/S

61
Given the important and manifold role of plastic in electronic/electrical products and the automotive industry, the
plastic use is not going to decrease. Fossil fuel based plastic will gradually be phased out in parallel with increasing
R&D and testing on biobased plastic. Of 1.2 million tonnes of WEEE plastics in the EU up to 50% could be recycled
instead of the current 20%. If all returned WEEE plastics were recycled in Europe, the estimated CO2 emission
reductions would be over 2.5 millionmetrictonnes per year.
The first EU plastic strategy was implemented in early 2018 requiring 50% of recycled plastic in packaging
material by 2025 and 55% by 2030. There could be a similar target for CEEE, which would speed up the market
transitionsignificantly.
In addition to a huge market potential, many interviewees mentioned customer demand as an important driver.
No doubt this demandwill onlygrow in the future.
“In the future there will be more demand from the consumers to have a circular economy in place for
products. It will be a big movement in society.” - BODY BIKE International A/S
What will the future look like?

62
Whilst the case studies in this report show enormous potential for developing design practices according to
circularprinciples,the fact is that consumers, too, need to rethinktheir own consumption.
“If we want to move towards a circular economy, we need to radically think about our own consumption. It
has been said that this is a materialistic era on the contrary; our relationship with material is twisted. We
don’t care to fix and if we don’t like the product we think that we can always do KonMari (a trend of getting
rid of “stuff” at home). Back in the 70’s we still repaired products. Recycling is not a solution, it is a last
resort before incineration” - Energy Authority Finland
In a similar vein, the rise of a sharing economy contributes to consumer’s role: on one hand, sharing
electrical/electronic equipment increases the use rate of a single product, on the other, increased use by multiple
users callsfor more durable products.
What will the future look like?

63
N. M.P.Bockenet al, “Productdesignand businessmodel strategies fora circulareconomy”, JournalofIndustrial and ProductionEngineering,vol.33,pp.308-320 2016.
CLOSEWEEE project: “Report on proposed Ecodesign Policy Concept and recommendation to strengthen Design for Recycling and the usage of post-consumer recycled plastics in new
products”.2018.
Dell Design forEnvironment.
https://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/uscorp1/dell-environment-greener-products?s=corp
Ellen MacArthurFoundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/what-is-the-circular-economy
ESR service forcollection, decontamination and recyclingwaste electrical and electronic equipment:
https://www.eco-systemes.fr/en/all-about-eco-systemes
ESR tool REEECYCLAB:https://reeecyclab.eco-systemes.com/?locale=en
EuropeanElectronics Recyclers AssociationPositionPaper: “Weee Plastics RecyclingStrategy Proposals”.2017.
EuropeanParliament EcodesignDirective: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2018-0165_EN.html
EuropeanStrategy forPlastics in a Circular Economy,2018.
FujitsuSustainability
pp.29-39,GreenThrougoutProductLifeCycle,FSTJ Vol. 53, No. 6,October2017
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/publications/fstj/archives/vol53-6.html
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/environment/society/resourceefficiency/
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/ir/library/integratedrep/2018/index.html
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/environment/society/recycle/casestudy/index.html
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64
M.Geissdoerfer etal,TheCircular Economy-a new sustainabilityparadigm?InJournal of CleanerProduction.vol 143,pp.757-768,2017.
A.Haarman and M. Gasser, ManaginghazardousadditivesinWEEEplasticfrom theIndianinformalsector,no.June.2016.
J. N. Hahladakis, C. A. Velis, R. Weber, E. Iacovidou, and P.Purnell, “An overview of chemical additives present in plastics: Migration, release, fate and environmental impact during their
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NordicCouncil of Ministers,“Nordicplasticvaluechains-CaseWEEE(WasteElectrical and ElectronicEquipment)”.2015.
Nordic Councilof Ministers, “Plastic Waste Markets: Overcomingbarriers to better resourceutilisation”, 2018.
Nordic Councilof Ministers, “Nordic plastic value chains - Case WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)”,2015.
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PartnersforInnovation, “Designingwithrecycledplastics”,2015.https://www.partnersforinnovation.com/media/Guidelines-designing-with-recycled-plastics.pdf
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Plastics Europe,“Plastics - the facts 2018”
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O. Rozenstein, E. Puckrin, and J. Adamowski, “Development of a new approach based on midwave infrared spectroscopy for post-consumer black plastic waste sorting in the recycling
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M. Schlummer andF. Wolff,“Recoveryof PolymerAdditives from WEEE Plastics,” CloseWEEE Workshop,Freising,2018.
L. Tange, J. Van Houwelingen, W. Hofland, F. Kohl, M. Kearns, P. Salemis, and N. Mendad, “Recycling of plastics containing flame retardants in electronic waste, a technical and
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M. Schlummer andF. Wolff,“Recoveryof PolymerAdditives from WEEE Plastics,” 2018.
A. Turner,“Black plastics: Linear and circulareconomies, hazardousadditives and marine pollution,”Environ.Int.,vol. 117,no.April, pp.308–318,2018.
Volvo Carslaunches M Mobility brand:https://group.volvocars.com/news/future-mobility/2018/volvo-cars-launches-m-mobility-brand
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List of references

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