Product and process redesign trends and their contribution to the sustainability agenda in the USA electronics industry

Introduction and study background

Designs define the components of products and dictate the choice of raw materials and production process (Chapman and Gant, 2007). Sustainable designs therefore are those that ensure that products and the production processes do not have any adverse impacts on the environment (Morris, 2009). Focus on the sustainability agenda has been rising in the last decade where organisations are increasingly under pressure to review their products and production processes in order to ensure that sustainability is achieved. Environmental conservation is among the key components of the sustainability agenda. Recent developments have seen organisations focus on areas such as reduction of greenhouse emissions, reduction of landfill through use of eco-friendly material and creation of recyclable parts among others (Envirowise, 2011). Sustainable redesign can therefore be described as changing the components of products and production processes in order to promote sustainability (Birkeland, 2002).

The US electronics industry, various achievements have been made in developing sustainable designs. Producers of products such as computers, phones, printers and others have been at the forefront in not only reducing the energy consumption rate of their products but also in managing waste by increasing the use of organic and eco-friendly materials in production (Consumer Electronic Association, 2008). Companies such as Apple, Epson, Altex and others have been observably keen on designing their products and production processes to suit sustainability (Consumer Electronic Association, 2008). There have also been numerous industry and government efforts to encourage greater advancements in the design of products that conform to the sustainability agenda.

This paper evaluates redesign trends in the USA electronics industry, takes note of the importance of the trends and makes recommendations on better approaches to sustainability.

Sustainable redesign efforts and the electronics industry

Sustainable redesign in the US electronics industry has been focused on the entire product life cycle which is illustrated below:

Source: Envirowise, 2011

The comprehensive approach towards redesign have been captured in the Consumer Electronics Association focus which covers four sustainability areas including green facilities and green manufacturing, eco-design, energy efficiency and clean delivery (Consumer Electronic Association, 2008). These areas essentially cover the entire product life cycle where sustainability at the production stage involves redesign of products which in turn impacts directly on the nature and quantity of raw materials needed. A review of the leading electronics companies reveals that water consumption by the organisations during production had reduced by 5-25% in a span of four years leading up to 2008 (Frechette, 2011). The companies have also been keen to avoid adding on to the landfill by reselling the unusable materials to other users. Redesign of the manufacturing processes in the electronics industry has also been remarkable with organisations across the industry appearing to cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, it should be appreciated that the reduction in emissions has been a uniform trend with few cases of trends in the opposite direction. In a report done by the Consumer Electronics Association, it was also found that the leading industry players had successfully devised ways of diverting over 80% of their wastes from landfill (Consumer Electronic Association, 2008). This has mainly been done by investing in recycling programs and in redesigning products to ensure that less waste is generated.

The trend that has been common in the USA has mainly revolved around the industry with most manufacturers opting to embrace smaller and lighter designs (Core, 2012). This has had the impact of reducing the amount of raw materials needed for production hence reducing their environmental footprints. This reduction relates to lower energy requirement for transportation, need for less space for storage, less energy during product use, reduced amount of materials in need of recycle and others. Apple has been leading in this front with the production of iPhones, mini computers and others.

Strides have also been made in eco designs under DfE (Design for Environment). Seiko Epson presents a staling example of eco designs where through successive redesigns it has managed to ensure that 85% of the components used in producing their printers is recoverable (Consumer Electronic Association, 2008). The company has also worked at ensuring that the packaging of its products is done using wood with the company operating a program that ensures that the rate at which trees are planted is 20% higher than the rate at which they are consumed by the company.  

The US government also reinforces the use of sustainable designs through the Green Electronics Council which has established standards through which the compliance of industry players is measured (Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship, 2011). The rating system dubbed EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) outlines 51 criteria which cover use of materials, packaging and design for end life. End life design refers to the process of ensuring that products are reusable and that contribution to the landfill is as low as possible. Lenovo sets the example in the industry through its Lenovo EPEAT Gold monitors which contain over 25% recycled materials (Envirowise, 2011). NEC Electronics has also been keen to reduce its waste and keep hazardous wastes from the landfill. The company has with time been able to keep 95% of its hazardous wastes out of the landfill to date.

Another aspect that has been focused on in the industry has been the designing of products whose consumption of energy is much lower. This is also becoming a necessity as consumers are reportedly on a constant outlook for products that consume less energy. An example has been Panasonic whose plasma televisions have been systematically reduced to 96% below their energy consumption levels in 2000 (Frechette, 2011). Intel has also made an impact on this front through the production of products such as microprocessors whose consumption of energy is as low as 10 times below the consumption rates in earlier models. The Xeon processors also save have an energy efficiency of up to 60% above its previous versions.

Redesigns of the manufacturing facilities have mainly focused on reducing energy consumption levels, reduction of greenhouse emissions and efficiency in the use of materials and resources such as water (Halluite, Linton and Yeomans, 2005). This has also been extended to choice of source of energy with the industry players being keen to embrace green sources of energy. Dell is one of the first companies in the industry to become a carbon-neutral company where 20% of its energy usage is green power and the remaining 80% coming from renewable energy credits (Frechette, 2011). Renewable energy credits are purchased by organisations that cannot access green power with ease to enable companies with easy access to make use of the same.

Government actions and desired impacts

The US government has adopted the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship in 2011 with an aim of encouraging further breakthroughs in generating sustainable designs. This policy establishes multi-stakeholder groups whose interest is to identify and overcome challenges to sustainable designs and encourage further investments green electronic designs. The strategy also aims at promoting scientific research to encourage more innovations (Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship, 2011). To make it worthwhile for companies to engage in sustainable redesign, the policy proposes that government takes measures to encourage consumption of products that are certified as Green in line with an enhanced standards as reflected in Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tools EPEAT (Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship, 2011). This government commitment is expected to ensure that America continues to set an example over other markets in the world as far as sustainable redesign is concerned.

Conclusion and recommendations

Sustainable redesign in the American electronics industry has been accelerating in the last decade. The approach has largely focused on the entire product life cycle which addressed the choice of raw materials, specification of products, production processes, delivery and the handling of the used products and waste materials. Initiatives that have been observed in the US electronics industry have mainly had more to do with the redesign of products with a general trend being the reduction of the amount of materials used in the products. Products such as phones, computers and others are notably much lighter and smaller than those produced in previous years. There has also been a focus on reduction of landfill through recycling and design of products whose production result in less waste. The use of organic and eco-friendly materials is a growing trend with Epson being an example where packaging is entirely made from wood from trees which the company ensures are replanted as soon as they are used. The use of renewable energy has also been encouraged. The government on its side provides guidance through establishment of assessment criteria, promotion of forums to encourage further investments and research, and promoting consumption of products that meet the established guidelines.

To ensure that sustainable redesign is more successful, government should move the guidelines provided from being preferable standards to being mandatory requirements where contraveners face stiff penalties. The government should also intensify its programs for promoting consumption of sustainable redesigned products and render those that do not comply obsolete in the market. This would increase the economic incentive for engaging in sustainable redesign. At the industry level, reuse and reduction of waste could be done through a collaborative approach where designs of certain product components could be usable across the industry.

References

Birkeland, 2002. Design for sustainability: a sourcebook for integrated ecological solutions. London: Earthscan

Chapman, J., Gant, N., 2007. Designers, visionaries and other stories: a collection of sustainable design essays. London: Earthscan

Consumer Electronic Association, 2008. Environmental sustainability and innovation in the consumer electronics industry.  (Online) Available at: http://www.ce.org/CorporateSite/media/Government-Media/Green/Environmental-Sustainability-and-Innovation-in-the-Consumer-Electronics-Industry.pdf (Accessed 1 August 2012)

Core, Jr., 2012. Apple, EPEAT and design for the 21^st century. (Online) Available at: http://www.core77.com/blog/articles/apple_epeat_and_design_for_the_21st_century_by_marc_alt_22912.asp (Accessed 1 August 2012)

Envirowise, 2011. Sustainable design of electrical and electronic products to control costs and comply with legislation. (Online) Available at: http://center.sustainability.duke.edu/sites/default/files/documents/sustainabledesign_electronics.pdf (Accessed 1 August 2012)

Frechette, P., 2011. CEA launches industry-wide sustainability report with support of five winds international. (Online) Available at: http://www.fivewinds.com/english/news-and-events/news/cea-launches-industry-wide-sustainability-report-with-support-of-five-winds-international.htm (Accessed 1 August 2012)

Halluite, J., Linton, J.D., Yeomans, J.S., 2005. The challenge of hazardous waste management in a sustainable environment: insights from electronic recovery laws. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. 12(1), pp. 31-37

Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship, 2011. National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship. (Online) Available at: http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/docs/strategy.pdf (Accessed 1 August 2012)

Morris, R., 2009. The fundamentals of product design. Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA