Evaluation of IBM end of life products: measuring DFE effectiveness

Abstract

IBM products targeted for design for the environment (DFE) initiatives in the IBM ECP program are beginning to arrive at the IBM Asset Recovery Center (ARC) in Endicott, New York. For the first time, it is now possible to evaluate the DFE attributes of machines based upon actual product end-of-life (EOL) data. Using demanufacturing information gathered at IBM Endicott ARC, this paper couples some of the key actions (cause) initiated by the ECECP and results (effect) as measured by the ARC on returned products. The results of these studies clearly demonstrate IBM's success in implementing targeted DFE attributes defined within its Environmentally Conscious Products (ECP) program. This paper presents results obtained from a project where DFE and dismantling performance were evaluated on a wide range of product types varying in age from one to fifteen years old. It analyzes the data and links the findings to DFE initiatives taken within the ECP program or other contributing factors having an impact on product recyclability.