Assessing the Effectiveness of Used Electronics Management Programs
Mars*, Carole; Mangold, Jennifer; Hutchins, Margot
(The Sustainability Consortium, Arizona State University, Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability, University of California, Berkeley)
With the number of electronic products reaching end-of-life expected to increase by 30% over the next 5 years, how companies manage the products they sell is a significant part of their overall corporate social responsibility program and an important contribution to efficient management of the resources required to manufacture their products. Environmentally and socially responsible program management is complicated by the inconsistent patchwork of regulations globally, an increasing focus on supply chain transparency to the point of final material disposal, and no clear, consistent way to assess or communicate the effectiveness of a used electronics management program. This presentation will cover the current and arising issues for electronic products at the end of their first use and research underway at The Sustainability Consortium to provide a way for organizations to assess, communicate and improve on their performance around used electronics management.