Enabling a low-carbon and Circular Economy for Electrical and Electronic Equipment that reduces the mining of rare, expensive and critical minerals

Context

Electrical and Electronic Equipment is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and world. Less than 35% of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment is recovered in the UK.

Problem

Our ability to effectively reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycle Electrical and Electronic Equipment is locked in by decisions made at the design stage. So…

…how do we design more circular products, services and systems to enable the effective maintenance, reuse, remanufacture and recycling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment?

..how can we help industry to do this, within their socio-economic, technical and regulatory constraints?

The Circular Electrical and Electronics Programme tackles these challenges and has been carefully co-created with more than 24 partners from across the Electrical and Electronic Equipment value chain.

The Circular Electrical and Electronics Project was established in 2024 and is funded by Dr Lucia Corsini’s UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (£1.56m), on “Tackling Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment” which develops systems and engineering design solutions to enable a Circular Economy for Electrical and Electronic Equipment in which product lifetimes are maximised and products are effectively reused, remanufactured, repaired and recycled.

We are supported by over 24 national and international partners that represent stakeholders from across the EEE value chain, including brands, producers, retailers, waste management services, compliances schemes, trade associates, local authority and policy makers, technology and waste tracking companies, waste non-profit organisations and eco-design consultancies.

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Our approach

This research adopts a whole systems design approach that integrates systems engineering, engineering design, innovation and technology management methodologies to enable a Circular Economy for Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

It jointly considers the full spectrum of Circular Economy strategies and whole lifecycle of Electrical and Electronic Equipment from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. It seeks to tackle engineering and design challenges within the broader social, technical, environmental and economic systems.

Join us

The Circular EEEconomy Network was founded to bring together leading academic, industry and policy experts who are working at the forefront of research and innovation on the Circular Economy and Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

This network seeks to strengthen knowledge exchange and foster collaboration between academia, industry, policy and citizens.

If you are interested to join this network, gain early access to research outputs and to attend upcoming events, please contact Dr Lucia Corsini.

Prof Lucia Corsini leads the Circular Electrical and Electronics Project.

Lucia is an Associate Professor and Head of the Circular Economy and Sustainability Lab at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford.

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