FEATURE Cutting costs
THE ADVANTAGES OF T
he circular economy presents a compelling solution to traditional linear production models, prioritising the
continuous use of resources through reuse, refurbishment, and recycling to avoid unnecessary waste. While the automation industry is making huge strides to support these models, industrial parts obsolescence has long posed a challenge, often leading to unnecessary waste when older components are discarded prematurely. Indeed, a report from Z2Data found that nearly half a million components reached their end of life in 2023.
Sustainability data With the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) now in force, the largest organisations in the EU will be on their sustainability data in 2025. A broader set of large companies, as well as listed SMEs, will soon need to follow suit, alongside some non-EU companies that generate over EUR 150 million on the EU market.
As these mandatory reporting
on businesses to explore ways to improve their sustainability credentials and reduce
30 March 2025 |
THE ADVANTAGES OF GOING ROUND IN CIRCLES
GOING ROUND IN CIRCLES
carbon emissions, looking at all aspects of their operations. The reuse and refurbishment of electrical components has a key role to play. While recycling industrial electronics is by no means a new concept, it can be overlooked. Sourcing ‘new’, especially where equipment downtime is impacting on productivity and a brand-new part would seemingly solve the issue quickly, can become the default.
However, this short-term thinking can result in higher costs over time, especially with so many options now available for the refurbishment of industrial automation parts. The key is to select the supplier with care to ensure that quality, timescales, and cost are not compromised.
Operators should prioritise working with and obsolete spare parts. While purchasing new is generally an available option, repair, refurbishment, buy-back of reconditioned parts and even cash back on old parts are all available.
In addition, where sustainability and
environmental responsibility is front of mind, operators need to be sure that their supplier is complying with the latest Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations.
This should not be driven by regulatory compliance alone, however. Responsible suppliers will be prioritising the reuse of electronic components and circuitry, some of which can be reused as much as six times before they need to enter the waste stream. This helps preserve the energy and materials initially invested in their production. For instance, many electronic components retain more than 80 per cent of their service life even after the original product has reached its end- of-life, making them viable for reuse in new applications.
Reconditioning electrical equipment consumes approximately 15% of the energy required to produce new products1
energy savings and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This practice also diverts their robust environmental credentials. Experience at JC-Electronics shows that a customers are around practical ways to reduce carbon footprint when purchasing spares. It has tool which enables customers to calculate the CO2, resource and cost savings of refurbishing HMIs, rather than replacing with new. The economic advantages of refurbishing components cannot be overlooked either. By recovering and reusing electronic components, companies can reduce their dependency on new availability and prices. This strategy ensures a steady supply of necessary components, even during periods of shortage, thereby safeguarding supply chains and reducing operational costs. Incorporating these practices within industrial automation not only aligns with circular economy principles but also enhances operational resilience, reduces environmental
impact, and promotes sustainable growth. 1.
The Professional Electrical Apparatus Reconditioning League (PEARL) – Reconditioning – the ultimate form of recycling whitepaper
https://pearl1.org/2024/11/06/ reconditioning-the-ultimate-form-of-recycling/
automationmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
