Combining environmental and economic factors to evaluate the reuse of electrical and electronic equipment - a Swiss case study

One key strategy which can be used to promote a Circular Economy is 'reuse'. This is particularly relevant for Electrical and Electronic Equipment due to its often rather short use phase as well as its resource-intensive production phase. The present study aimed to investigate the environmental and economic relevance of promoting the reuse of (waste) electrical and electronic equipment in Switzerland. To do so, a simplified life cycle assessment approach was combined with a calculation of the total cost of ownership of a device. These calculations were made for five different types of device: washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, laptop computers, and smartphones. Results showed that from an environmental perspective, smartphones or laptop computers, whose dominant environmental impact comes in their production phase, should be reused independently of their age, whereas for the three other devices, age is a decisive factor. Adding on the economic factor-that reuse should result in lower costs-led to the conclusion that all older devices except for refrigerators would have to be 'sold on' at no cost in order for their reuse to make sense economically. In addition, there should be a consideration of whether buying second-hand equipment replaces a new device or results in an increase in the total stock of devices, as old and new ones are run in parallel, creating a typical rebound situation. Public authorities should thus be more active in sharing information and raising awareness about the possibilities for repair and reuse.