Designing a sustainable future for recycling

Home appliances can play a significant role in designing the future of sustainable recycling. With proper design and engineering, appliances can be built to last longer, be more energy-efficient, and be easier to recycle at the end of their life.

Home appliances can play a significant role in designing the future of sustainable recycling. With proper design and engineering, appliances can be built to last longer, be more energy-efficient, and be easier to recycle at the end of their life. Paolo Falcioni, APPLiA Director General, was one of the panellists at the EURIC annual conference on how we can boost recycling through future-fit policies.

Today, there are sufficient policy instruments covering end-of-life handling but what is needed to maximise recovery and combat illegal disposal and export of e-waste is the consistent implementation efforts by all actors in the waste chain - particularly market surveillance authorities. EURIC data reveals that only 18% of electronic waste is gathered and repurposed globally. A meagre figure indeed. The EU fairs slightly better with a rate nearing 40%, but still falling short of the ideal scenario. “Until we attain a 100% collection and recycling rate, our efforts at the design phase will potentially go to waste,” began Falcioni.

To design sustainable products, a flexible, product-by-product approach should be maintained, as there are multiple ways to increase environmental sustainability. “Here, it is crucial to assess the sustainability requirements of products in order to ensure that they truly promote sustainability,” continued Falcioni. When evaluating the environmental impact and circularity of products, a comprehensive approach is necessary to consider all potential impacts and find the appropriate balance. To maintain consistency and legal certainty, all chemical, waste, safety, and market surveillance laws must align with current and future product requirements. Home appliance manufacturers have been shifting towards a circular economy by incorporating recycling-oriented design into the production of new products, in compliance with current ecodesign and end-of-life legislation. These circular efforts have been facilitated through various business models, recycling technologies, and legislative requirements.

Widespread use of recycled plastics will never be a reality unless there is a magic match of demand and supply. To increase the use of recycled plastic in Europe, APPLiA has been a part of the Circular Plastics Alliance which has identified three main barriers to the uptake of recycled plastics in European products:

1. The quality of recycled plastics
2. The availability and security of supply
3. The competitiveness of recycled plastics versus virgin plastics.

Today’s reality is that the secondary raw materials market is, well, a market - meaning decisions are taken based on a wide range of factors, including financial ones. “We are against a market simply fueled by incentives. We are for a market where all aspects of sustainability are taken into account,” declared Falcioni. Industry and recyclers need to work together to create conditions for long-term investment certainty in the circular plastics economy by configuring “all externalities to be reflected in the magic point of equilibrium called price,” concluded Falcioni.