Metrics for end-of-life strategies (ELSEIM)

Abstract

The environmental impact of a product's end-of-life is modeled, using the End-of-Life Strategy Environmental Impact Model (ELSEIM). The model is based on data from case studies provided by Philips Consumer Electronics. The model calculates the environmental impact across all possible end-of-life strategies (reuse, service, remanufacture, recycle, and disposal). The environmental impacts include the following: manufacturing or extraction, transportation, energy, end-of-life, and packaging. Results from case studies from Philips Consumer Electronics show that the popular belief that reuse is the best end-of-life strategy to reduce environmental impact is only partly true: (i) for television, the reuse strategy instead of the current recycling with disassembly strategy brings little gains; if future energy consumption of televisions decreases further the gain will turn into a loss; and (ii) cellular phones are assessed as good candidates for reuse and should be redesigned accordingly.