Circular Approaches for the Ecodesign, Repair and Remanufacturing of Car and Mass Electronics : The CIRC-UITS Project

Abstract

This open access book summarizes research being pursued within the CIRC-UITS project, funded by the European Union community under the Horizon Europe programme, the goal of which is to demonstrate the improvement of circularity of automotive and mass electronics sectors by recovering materials from waste products, as well as supporting the reuse and remanufacturing of electronic components into new (high value) products in these sectors. To this aim, the CIRC-UITS project wants to unlock the full potentials/benefits of circular practices through digital technologies. Specifically, within the project, digital twins, augmented reality, web platforms and simulation tools have been developed. Another important objective is the increase of resource efficiency/independency and reduction of the negative environmental footprint of electronics production processes through circular behaviors. To this aim, within the CIRC-UITS project a set of methodologies and decision-support tools for the assessment and advisory of sustainability and circularity performances have been developed. Another important objective is the improvement/standardization of information/data sharing/exchange among industrial leaders involved in the same and/or similar value chain. To this aim, the CIRC-UITS project’s consortium has been actively involved in the development of two CEN Workshop Agreements, one about the implementation of a Digital Product Passport (DPP) dedicated to electronic components and another dedicated to the application of the standard EN 45554 in the automotive industry. Finally, the CIRC-UITS project demonstrated the benefits coming from the adoption of a Digital Circular Economy through 4 pilots, one on Electronic Control Units (ECU), one on Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS), one on In-Mold Electronics (IME) and one on sorting of obsolete Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) from washing machines.