Materiality Assessment and Analysis — We conduct rigorous assessments using International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) framework to evaluate current operations, energy usage, waste management, and carbon emissions to identify areas for improvement and opportunities to reduce environmental impact.

Goal Setting — Collaborating closely with clients, we establish ambitious yet achievable sustainability goals, including targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and minimizing waste generation.

Strategy Development — We work with organizations to design tailored sustainability strategies that align with their goals and industry standards, incorporating measures such as renewable energy adoption, energy-efficient technologies, waste reduction, and water conservation.

Roadmap Implementation Support — Our team offers continuous guidance and support during the implementation phase, aiding organizations in integrating sustainable practices into their operations, such as supplier engagement, energy management systems, and monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

Stakeholders Engagement and Training — Emphasizing the significance of internal and external stakeholder engagements, we provide training programs to raise awareness and build capacity within the organization, fostering a culture of sustainability and ensuring commitment to reducing environmental impact.

Monitoring and Reporting — We assist organizations in establishing effective monitoring systems to track progress, including regular data collection, analysis, and reporting in compliance with International Financial Standard Board (IFRS) and Corporate Standard Reporting Directives (CSRD) to demonstrate environmental performance and identify areas for improvement.

Scoping and Goal Definition — We collaborate with clients to define the scope and goals of the life cycle assessment, determining system boundaries, functional units, and impact categories to be considered.

Data Collection and Analysis — We assist organizations in collecting relevant data on energy consumption, raw material inputs, emissions, waste generation, and other environmental aspects throughout the life cycle of their products or processes. Our experts analyze this data to quantify the environmental impacts associated with each stage. Impact

Assessment and Interpretation — We evaluate environmental impacts using established assessment methods, providing actionable insights and recommendations for reducing environmental footprints.

Improvement Strategies and Implementation — Based on the life cycle assessment findings, we develop tailored strategies and action plans to minimize environmental impacts. This may involve optimizing energy use, improving material selection, implementing recycling and waste management programs, and adopting cleaner production techniques while supporting organizations in implementing these strategies and monitoring their progress.

Training and Capacity Building — We offer training programs and workshops to enhance our clients’ understanding of life cycle assessment and build their internal capacity to drive continuous improvement through integrating LCA into their decision-making processes.

Electronics consumption is increasing due to digitalization and a growing global middle class. However, this leads to adverse environmental impacts, such as high demand for raw materials, substantial energy use, and electronic waste. Transitioning to a circular economy in the electronics industry can address these challenges and generate value. The electronics sector is responsible for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the fashion industry.

There are flaws in the linear economy, which are remedied within a circular economy model. It presents the concept of the circular economy, its principles, and its benefits. The section also introduces a report that analyzes the climate and financial benefits of adopting a circular business model in the electronics industry.

✔ The linear economy follows a take-make-waste principle, leading to waste, environmental harm, and high costs.

✔ The circular economy maximizes resource efficiency and promotes reuse, recycling, and refurbishment.

✔ It seeks to decouple economic activity from the consumption of finite resources and reduce carbon emissions.

✔ The report analyzes three circular business models in the electronics industry and finds that they are more cost-effective and reduce CO2e compared to the linear model.

✔ Implementing a circular strategy can lead to an average of 12% cost savings and 10% CO2e emissions reduction.

✔ Different circular strategies excel in various segments of the electronics industry.

✔ Each circular business model requires initial investment and business transformation.

✔ Combining circular strategies can achieve higher cost and CO2e savings.

✔ The automotive electronics sector is expected to grow due to increased automation and digitalization.

✔ The rising popularity of electric and automated vehicles drives the demand for automotive electronics.

✔ Remanufacturing is the best circular business model for the automotive electronics industry.

✔ Remanufacturing offers a 12% reduction in costs and a 5% reduction in CO2e.

✔ The most significant cost and CO2e savings are in raw materials extraction.

✔ Logistics costs and CO2e emissions increase in the remanufacturing process.

✔ Significant savings occur in the end-of-life stage.

✔ Industrial electronics includes specialized electronic equipment used in various industries.

✔ The PaaS model offers a cost savings potential of ~36% and CO2e savings of ~8%.

✔ The PaaS model allows customers to pay for performance instead of ownership.

✔ Remanufacturing is the best circular business strategy with ~9% CO2e savings and ~16% cost savings.

✔ Remanufactured products are offered at significantly lower costs and use fewer raw materials.

✔ Remanufacturing can tap into new customer segments with limited capital.

✔ The medical device industry can benefit from leasing and remanufacturing of equipment.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol does not fully capture the benefits of circular business models regarding emission reductions. This is because these standards are more suited for linear economies and struggle to account for emissions avoided through practices like product repair and durability. Organizations like the World Business Council for Sustainable Development are developing guidance documents to quantify these “avoided emissions” and communicate the CO2e savings compared to making new products.

✔ Implementing circular business models can lead to higher upfront costs for companies.

✔ The circular economy has been recognized as offering long-term sustainable financial returns.

✔ The number of private market funds with a circular economy focus has increased tenfold from 2016 to 2020.

✔ Companies may face limitations, and competitors who enter later may secure cost advantages.

✔ Circular inputs can be a practical starting point for companies to transition towards circularity.

✔ Remanufacturing requires more effort and leads to higher costs compared to circular inputs.

✔ A PaaS model offers greater returns regarding carbon reduction and cost savings.

✔ The French Anti-Waste Law aims to eliminate waste and pollution, banning the destruction of unsold non-food products and introducing a mandatory repairability index for electronic products.

✔ The EU Circular Economy Action Plan targets the Electronics and ICT sectors to design devices for energy efficiency, durability, repairability, and reuse.

✔ The CSRD requires companies to disclose extensive sustainability performance and related strategic implications, promoting better data transparency and circular input strategies.

✔ The French Anti-Waste Law and EU Circular Economy Action Plan contribute to the broader Circular Electronics Initiative in the EU.

✔ The French Anti-Waste Law targets a 60% increase in the proportion of repaired electronic and electric products by 2026.

✔ The EU Circular Economy Action Plan includes measures to expand the market for circular products and improve recycling rates for e-waste.

✔ The CSRD requires management to report on tonnes of hazardous materials, radioactive waste, and non-recycled waste, indirectly pressuring companies to adopt circular strategies.

✔ Regulations are vital in driving transparency, accountability, and circularity in industries, such as the extended producer responsibility rules on e-waste.

✔ The growth of the electronics segment is driven by the increasing use of digitalization in various sectors.

✔ Digitalization helps close material loops and boost circular business models by providing accurate product availability, location, and condition information.

✔ Digital solutions such as IoT, Big Data, and analytics enable a transition to a circular economy by improving product design, attracting target customers, and enhancing end-of-life activities.

Resource Conservation: Companies like Batch. Works in the Netherlands are at the forefront of pioneering smart and circular manufacturing, utilizing circular materials and on-demand production to reduce resource consumption significantly.

✔ Waste Reduction: Initiatives such as Winnow, a British startup, have developed smart meters for commercial kitchens that dramatically reduce food waste, demonstrating the potential for similar waste reduction in electronics.

✔ Cost Savings: Dell Technologies has been a leader in utilizing post-consumer recycled plastics in its products, showcasing how circular practices can lead to substantial cost savings and improved resource efficiency.

✔ Sustainable Innovation: The right-to-repair movement, championed by companies like iFixit, encourages product longevity by providing repair guides and parts, fostering innovation in sustainable product design.