Closing the loop of electr(on)ic products and domestic appliances. From product planning to end-of-life technologies

Información del proyecto

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: IC20980015

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de inicio 1 Noviembre 1998

Fecha de finalización 30 Abril 2002

Financiado con arreglo a

• Specific research, technological development and demonstration programme in the field of cooperation with third countries and international organizations, 1994-1998

Coste total

Sin datos

Aportación de la UE

Sin datos

Coordinado por

AUSTRIAN SOCIETY FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND AUTOMATION
Austria

Objetivo

A. Background to the project: Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances, Electromechanical and Electronic products are facing one of its most serious challenges to date: how to apply an integrated approach to business and product development to create environmentally compatible products, e.g. replace the traditional flow of products from manufacturer to landfill with are cycle and recover approach, because ex post emissions treatment and waste taxes are not sufficient solutions. A drastic changing of scale is urgent. This can be obtained only by designing products more compatible with environment. Furthermore, the world is facing an ever growing stream of electronics waste as a result both of the rapidly increasing number of new applications for electronics and of the accelerating pace of technological development and ever shorter service life. The tremendous increasing amount of electro mechanical and electronics products, such as computers, printers, telephones, household-machines and others, to be recycled (and also to be disassembled), makes it necessary to partially automate this disassembly process to increase the effort. The need for such semi-automated solutions can be estimated from the German electrical and electronic equipment market, where more than 2 million tons per year of electronic scrap are expected for the next decade. Within the EU the electronic waste has already reached staggering 10 -12 million tons a year. In some branches there is a tremendous growth, like the German PC market, where 2,8 million PCs have been sold in1994 - worldwide the sale of PCs 1994 increased to 45.2 million (+25.2%).According to a recent study for the US market and estimated that if the current German pace of discarding 3-4 million computers per year continues, disposal costs would alone reach a staggering 2()()-300 million ECU per year.

B. The proposed Thematic Network ECOLIFE. Goals: The aim of joining AREP, DFER and ENSURE (from now on: ECOLIFE) the three thematic networks is to strengthen the European industry and to preserve the European leadership in environmental technologies by: 1. facilitating more efficient research and cooperation; 2. defining the i knowledge gaps; 3. coordinating work related research to 'fill the gaps"; 4. showing the interrelation between the various items addressed in this thematic network. Research areas The objective of the research work is to contribute to the elimination or at least mitigation of priority environmental problems by developing solutions of wide ranging and general applicability in the electr(on)ic industry. For the implementation phase the following main areas were defined: Ecodesign (Domestic Appliances and Electromechanical Products) -Concept of <>-Ecodesign guidelines -Transferability of Tools / Development of Tools Closing the Cycle (Business Perspectives) -Quality Aspects -Communication &Marketing -Qualification -Logistics End of Life Aspects (ElectronicProducts) - Disassembly & Cleaning - Recognition - Design for Recycling. The proposal is based on long experiences in training and technology transfer on a national as well as on an international level by the consortium. Altogether 32 partners (20 from industry) from 10 countries are participating in the ECOLIFE network. After an initial phase of 2 years it is intended to enlarge the network and include other interested companies and research organisations in order to establish a durable network for the next decade.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• ciencias sociales › sociología › gobernanza › impuestos
• ingeniería y tecnología › ingeniería ambiental › gestión de residuos › procesos de tratamiento de residuos

Programa(s)

• FP4-INCO - Specific research, technological development and demonstration programme in the field of cooperation with third countries and international organizations, 1994-1998

Tema(s)

Datos no disponibles

Convocatoria de propuestas

Datos no disponibles

Régimen de financiación

THN - Thematic network contracts

Coordinador

AUSTRIAN SOCIETY FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND AUTOMATION

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: 3/1,Albert Schweitzer-Gasse 11 ; 1140 WIEN ; Austria
• Coste total: Sin datos

Participantes (1)

LogMaS International GmbH

Hungría

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: E/6PF18,EgyetemvÁros ; 3515 Miskolc
• Coste total: Sin datos