An environmentally conscious management model for end-of-life electromechanical products

With more and more end-of-life (EOL) electromechanical products being generated in the world, take-back legislation has been or will be enacted in some countries. The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are faced with more responsibility to managing their EOL products. This paper describes the activities at the EOL stage, and proposes an integrated model for the management of EOL products, in which both environmental and economic factors are considered The purpose of this model is to help OEMs determine appropriate pre-treatment methods, and select appropriate buyers/recyclers to minimize the whole adverse environmental impacts of EOL products, and at the same time maximize the net profit.