• • • NETZERO • • •
inconsistent EU e-waste classifications further hinder effective regulation. To combat this, collection could be optimised through Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs). These are entities established by manufacturers to fulfil the collection, recycling and waste disposal of their products. This can increase material recovery rates and shift the environmental and financial burden of waste management away from governments and consumers.
Closing the loop Producers and manufacturers could develop further guidance on how to dispose and dismantle their products. In addition to PROs, manufacturers can develop business models to recover the end-of-life products of their customers and properly recycle them, which creates value- retention opportunities.
Because the materials used are highly recyclable, it’s better to re-use them in new products that are more energy efficient. Many companies are already embracing recycling and circular practices. For example, a partnership between ABB and Stena Recycling is ensuring that end-of-life machines are efficiently recycled, with metals reused in new European products. ABB claims its large motors and generators are 98 per cent recyclable, with the remaining two per cent of materials suitable for incineration with heat recovery. By focussing on the end-of-life management of these machines, companies can reduce environmental impact and ensure equipment is regularly upgraded. ABB also works with Stena Recycling on its transformers, and says it plans to have over 80 per cent of all its products and solutions based on a circular approach by 2030.
Recycling
Multiple recycling sites and secondary smelters exist in Europe and around the world. For instance, Germany features specialised recycling centres like Elektro-Recycling Nord in Hamburg for appliances and electronic waste, and Cablo in Berlin and the Ruhr area, which focusses on separating metal and plastic, especially from cables. However, recycling end-of-life products can be challenging due to collection issues, complex material separation and fragmented global recycling streams. For example, motors often face varying practices; large and medium motors are recycled for copper, small motors are often exported, and very small motors in appliances frequently end up in landfills.
Material separation complicates recycling, such when handling composites like the cast resin in dry transformers. Global markets and
At the same time, design engineers can collaborate with recycling companies to develop designs that facilitate dismantling and separation at end-of-life. Design engineers can also collaborate with the metals industry to deepen their knowledge of the metallurgical properties of commonly used materials like copper. This would help in developing designs in which metals are combined with materials that are easy to separate in the smelting and refining process. In nature, each organism occupies an individual niche. It borrows materials from its environment and returns them at the end of its life. The same can be true for electrical manufacturing, and trade shows such as CWIEME Berlin help by enabling constructive discussions between all players of the value chain, both upstream and downstream of manufacturers, creating a more sustainable, circular economy.
22 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • MAY 2025
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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