Repair and preparing for reuse as a driver for Circular Economy

Abstract

The generation of e-waste has been rising worldwide, and the EU member states are among the top producers. To extend the life of electrical and electronic equipment and delay the generation of e-waste, preparing for reuse is one of the top policy priorities in the context of the Circular Economy. The manuscript presents the results of the application of social life cycle assessment on the actions of the LIFE REWEEE project, an EU funded project, which aimed at enhancing the concept of reuse through different actions, including the operation of two sorting and preparing for reuse centres, the development of a web-based exchange platform for used electrical and electronic equipment, and the coordination of repair workshops. The results indicate that the operation of electrical and electronic equipment sorting and repair centres in the context of a developed economy creates positive social impacts in terms of job creation and job satisfaction. Additionally, the coordination of repair workshops fosters socialisation and human interaction among local community members, while online platform donations and exchanges further the trend of society shifting towards sharing goods.