Drivers and Barriers for “Circular” Consumer Electronics in the European Union

The European Union (EU) and the EU member states have adopted a number of policies that can support circular economy developments in the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sector, and additional policies have been proposed. The policies include the new Ecodesign Regulation and a new Battery Regulation, and forthcoming rules related to durability and repairability of mobile phones and tablets. This paper, based on an interview study and analysis of the policies, examines what kind of changes the new policies may have on design of EE, and whether practitioners believe the policies will change consumer behavior. Some policies – most notably the Ecodesign Directive, the new Ecodesign Regulation, Energy Labeling, and the Battery Regulation – are expected to have an impact on future design of EEE. Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are considered to have a high potential to support new developments. Mandating that product warranties are shown clearly at the time of purchase also has potential to change manufacturers’ product offerings. There were diverging views on how much behavioral changes we can expect from consumers. Interviewed practitioners expect that consumers are likely to react to information about durability/lifetime for expensive products but are not likely to respond to repairability information for cheaper products.