Determining end-of-life strategies as a part of product definition

Abstract

This paper presents an approach for determining feasible end-of-life strategies from significant product characteristics. Previous surveys of a broad range of products led to a classification scheme that helps designers incorporate suitable end-of-life strategies in their product definition. The development of the end-of-life categorization results from statistical analysis applied to twelve characteristics across twenty products from the electronics and appliances industries. Further, the paper describes in detail the development of a Web-based application, End-of-Life Design Advisor (ELDA). ELDA guides designers, recycling technology developers and policy makers to specify end-of-life strategies and improve decisions related to end-of-life strategies.