Policy, Ecodesign and Circular Materials

Evaluation of the environmental performance of products requires detailed knowledge of the design, production and the product’s use. Only then is it possible to ensure that all relevant factors are taken into consideration.

Life-cycle modelling, with LCA or carbon footprint analyses identifies the environmentally relevant life cycle phases and the influential parameters. In addition to issuing  own environmental assessments, expertise in methodology and electronics is used to monitor and review external life-cycle assessments in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 within the evaluation process.

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Information and communication technologies (ICT) have specific challenges regarding the environmental aspects. The demand for high performance together with the low power consumption requires to involve many different materials, including critical materials, and constrain the design rules. The technical needs for the use of certain materials must be balanced with the environmental burden through e.g. substitution, quantity reduction, resource efficiency and higher recyclability.

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Product-related environmental legislation is increasingly affecting electrical and electronic products. In recent years the European Commission, with its RoHS, WEEE und EuP/ErP Directives has not only placed considerable restrictions on substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium (VI), and the flame retardants PBDE and PBB and has regulated the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment, but with the Ecodesign Directive has also initiated a broad process of life-cycle related product optimisation.

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Depending on the goals and the scope, life-cycle assessments for electrical and electronic equipment can be very complicated and call for a high degree of expertise. In order to ensure reliable results in accordance with ISO 14040:2006, an independent life cycle assessment review is necessary.  

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Our core field of competence is the eco-design of new electronic products in information and communication technology or consumer electronics, lighting, industrial and automotive electronics, and sensor components. We take into account the entire lifecycle of a product from the raw materials, through the production of the components and the assembly, marketing and use phases to recycling and disposal.

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Legislation is placing increasingly complex demands on the electronics sector, with bans on substances, limitations on uses, declaration requirements, and requirements on power consumption, energy efficiency, and for power management.

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We combine human-centred design and life-cycle thinking with newest insights from applied research to develop sustainable technologies and products, as well as business, service and ecosystem solutions. ​

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The INCREACE project was funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program to tackle the above-mentioned issues. The diverse and interdisciplinary consortium develops innovative solutions along the entire plastics recycling value chain embedded in a systemic framework.

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The Information and Communication Technology sector is very active in the field of Product Carbon Footprints. They all use some variation of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCAs provide comprehensive methodology for estimating the carbon footprint of a product. They can be used to support purchase decisions, to implement a company-wide climate policy, and to identify levers for product design improvements.

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In May 2019, the EU’s PROMPT project was launched to tackle e-waste: the aim is to establish an independent test program to evaluate the service life of consumer goods.

Waste generation of electrical and electronic equipment has soared in the past decades. In the EU, discarded equipment such as fridges, computers, printers, and coffee machines are one of the fastest growing waste streams, rising by 3-5% per year. This development is not only putting a strain on the environment but also on consumers’ budgets.

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In the past, used electronics components were solely re-used in low-cost products, growing digitalization of our daily lives comes with numerous new product concepts, which could make perfect use of parts and components harvested from used smartphones and tablets.

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The RoHS and ELV Directives specify prohibited substances along with exemptions that permit the use of such materials in certain applications for limited time periods.

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Assessing ecological impact throughout the entire lifecycle is the most comprehensive means of evaluating a product’s environmental footprint. However, implementing lifecycle assessment is particularly difficult for small and medium enterprises. Hurdles include the amount of data involved, high costs and a lack of know-how.

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We offer thermal investigations of both - the materials and the systems. In order to be able to characterize thermal interface materials (TIM), a system was set up for determine heat conductivity and thermal resistance depending on the resistance relative to compression force. Infrared measurement techniques measure temperatures without any contact to detect errors in systems or components.

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We combine human-centred design and life-cycle thinking with newest insights from applied research to develop sustainable technologies and products, as well as business, service and ecosystem solutions. ​

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