End of Use
What is “End of Use“ and Why it is important?
The end-of-use phase is the final stage in a product’s lifecycle, emphasizing the importance of creating circular systems to continually reuse, recycle, or repurpose products and materials.
At this stage, digital technologies enable smart and sustainable disposal and recycling processes. Through digital technologies, like robotic and data analytics, companies can optimize resource recovery, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact. Embracing Industry 4.0 in the end-of-use stage aligns with circular economy principles, promoting responsible and eco-friendly product lifecycle management.
Circular strategies in the End of Use phase
Industry 4.0 technologies applied in the End of Use phase
Robotics
The key applications in which robotics will be used in remanufacturing are expected to continue to focus on component disassembly and removal, especially in the field of e-waste for recycling purposes. Recycling robots are tools that can be used in the fight against pollution and waste management.
Big data & analytics
Improving decision-making for sustainable practices like reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling is achieved by collecting and analysing data on product usage and disposal at the end of their life cycle.
Artificial Intelligence
Leveraging artificial intelligence algorithms, reverse logistics is streamlined, optimizing disassembly, remanufacturing, and recycling. This approach maximizes end-of-life product value and minimizes environmental impact by efficiently sorting and reusing components.
Additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing allows for part repair and maintenance to extend product life. Recycling initiatives, including open-source and commercial efforts, focus on creating filament from 3D printing waste materials, such as support structures and old printed parts, promoting sustainability in the industry.
End of Use Examples
In France, end-of-life products are managed by “eco-organizations” in accordance with the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Veolia, a global leader in the optimized management of water, energy, and waste resources, operates on behalf of one of these organizations to collect and recycle used furniture in 41 administrative departments nationwide
Veolia has developed Rob’Inn, an innovative robot that achieves a 100% recovery rate by sorting furniture waste. With a touch screen, operators identify the material, and the robot places items in appropriate pipelines for recycling (metallurgy, plastics industry). This robot enhances Veolia’s industrial capacities, expected to eliminate up to 24,000 tons of furniture waste instead of current 16,000 tons.
Sustainability benefits:
- The use of the innovative robot, Rob’Inn, allows for efficient sorting of furniture waste, ensuring a 100% recovery rate. This increased efficiency in recycling contributes to a reduction in the overall environmental impact associated with the disposal of used furniture.
- The introduction of Rob’Inn is expected to eliminate up to 24,000 tons of furniture waste annually. This significant reduction in waste contributes to a more sustainable and responsible approach to resource management, aligning with circular economy principles.
The introduction of digital product passports is crucial in the circular economy strategy and aligns with the EU’s digital transformation. Although still in development, these passports are anticipated to significantly enhance textile sustainability. The goal is for each textile product to possess its own digital passport, linking it with data pertinent to its volume and sustainability.
Digital passports could potentially revolutionize every aspect of the textile value chain, from design and production to recycling and procurement. Companies may be able to calculate their carbon footprint more effectively, implement sustainability more easily in orders, and enable secondary material processors to use, repair, or recycle products more efficiently. Moreover, these passports will assist end customers in making informed purchasing decisions.
For maximum effectiveness, the data carrier should be attached to the product, enduring from purchase to recycling or disposal. Standardized data formats and interfaces are essential for ease of processing, and the data must be secure, reliable, and machine-readable. In textiles, the data carrier can be integrated into the label or an RFID chip within the fabric. However, this requires consumers to retain the label post-purchase.
In late 2022, GS1 (The Global Language of Business), a global standards organization, proposed a system for the data carrier, advocating for the use of universally recognized barcodes and QR codes (as per ISO/IEC 15459). This system aims to track the entire supply chain from raw material to post-use.
Sustainability benefits:
- Enhanced value chain efficiency across the textile sector.
- Accurate product data for recyclers, facilitating precise sorting and processing.
Figure: RFID chip
