Sustainable Design of Electronics

Offered By: Delft University of Technology via edX

Course Description

Overview

In a circular economy, products are designed to last. Yet every product will eventually reach the end of its functional life. Recycling can help recover the value embedded in its materials so that these can be used again. However, for complex products like electronics, applying this seemingly simple principle can raise big challenges.

This two-course program supports designers, engineers and decision makers in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) industry in making the transition towards a circular economy by exploring both Design for Recycling and Designing with Recycled plastics.

In the first course, you will explore the basic concepts of the circular economy and their implementation from various perspectives: how businesses can create value by reusing and recycling products; how designers can come up with amazingly clever solutions; and how to apply systems thinking to the transition to the circular economy.

In the second course, you will learn how the recyclability of EEE products or consumer electronics can be optimized through good design and how to utilize recycled plastic content in existing or new products using new methods. We will examine inspiring examples and provide insight into current and future recycling technologies, legislation and business models.

If you are looking for ways to upskill yourself and become a designer who not only creates great products but contributes to sustainable design and a positive environmental impact – this is the program for you!

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Circular Economy: An Introduction

Ready to make a difference? Learn how to contribute to a sustainable economic system by implementing novel business and design approaches!

Course 2: Designing Electronics for Recycling in a Circular Economy

Discover the latest developments in Design for Recycling (DfR) of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and the application of recycled plastics into new products.

Courses

4 reviews
7 weeks, 3-6 hours a week, 3-6 hours a week
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Our global society is not sustainable. We all know about the challenges we’re facing: waste, climate change, resource scarcity, loss of biodiversity. At the same time, we want to sustain our economies and offer opportunities for a growing world population. This course is about providing solutions we really believe in: a Circular Economy.

In this course we explore the Circular Economy: how businesses can create value by reusing and recycling products, how designers can come up with amazingly clever solutions, and how you can contribute to make the Circular Economy happen.

You will learn to re-think the economic system you’re experiencing every day, and act upon it. Be a leader in this major paradigm shift! Shape a more circular future together with our global network.

The course is led by TU Delft and co-created with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Sustainability.
0 reviews
4 weeks, 3-4 hours a week, 3-4 hours a week
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Electronic products bring countless benefits to society, but their production and waste treatment also lead to numerous negative environmental and economic impacts. Since E-waste is the world’s fastest growing waste stream, governments are setting ambitious targets to help this industry transition towards a circular economy.

In a circular economy, products are designed to last. Yet every product will eventually reach the end of its functional life. Recycling can help recover the value embedded in its materials so that these can be used again to manufacture new products. However, – especially for complex products like electronics – applying this seemingly simple principle can raise big challenges.

This course supports designers, engineers and decision makers in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) industry in making the transition towards a circular economy by exploring both Design for Recycling and Designing with Recycled plastics. Regardless of your level of design experience or your familiarity of the circular economy, this course will help you to either upskill or update your knowledge and improve your product design and materials selection.

You will learn how the recyclability of EEE products can be optimized through good design and how to utilize recycled plastic content in existing or new products using new methods. The course will examine inspiring examples and provide insight into current and future recycling technologies, legislation and business models.

The course includes a virtual visit to a waste treatment facility and contributions from industry experts across the electronics supply chain showing the impact of design and material choices on the recycling and recovery process of the materials you use, and how concrete Design for Recycling guidelines help overcome these issues. The course also provides case studies to demonstrate how DfR can be applied to your own designs.

This course is an initiative from the Delft University of Technology, Partners for Innovation, Rijkswaterstaat and frontrunners within the EEE industry from the RE-CET (Redesigning Electronics in a Circular Economy Transition) consortium.

Taught by

Erwin van der Laan, Ken Webster, Conny Bakker, David Peck, Ruud Balkenende and Ester van der Voet