Current Projects
Sustainable E-Waste Design Competition
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During the Spring 2009 semester, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) students were challenged to create appealing, useful products from e-waste. Participants were encouraged to enroll in a School of Art and Design course on sustainability and e-waste issues (ARTD 391/591) taught by industrial design professor William Bullock. Students in this class conducted an e-waste collection on campus to gather unused CPUs, monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, scanners and cell phones as fodder for design competition projects. Educational goals for the students included learning about ways to re-use e-waste for new and productive means, exploring ideas for how to address e-waste problems, and contributing to the body of knowledge that advances the practice of environmentally responsible product design for current and future computing technology products.
In 2010, the competition expanded to a global scale where applicants were asked to submit their videos of their entries. While the competition has expanded to an international scale, Professor Bullock’s class participated with the local Champaign County Electronics Recycling Drive, and the class received donated electronics from Advanced Technology Recycling, which was used by the students to participate in the e-waste competition. To view the winning videos, please visit the SEI videos/presentations page.
For more information about the competition, see Joy Scrogum's blog post, press release blog, or the Sustainable E-Waste Design Competition web site. You may also address any questions to Professor William Bullock.
Additional information is available on the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) Press Coverage page and the SEI Photo Gallery.
Electronics & Sustainability: Design for Energy and the Environment
The Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a unit of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, hosted a symposium entitled Electronics & Sustainability: Design for Energy and the Environment, February 23-24, 2010 at the I Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
For more information, visit the Symposia page on this web site.
Life Cycle Length within Product Take-Back
Professors Deborah Thurston and Harrison Kim and their students within the Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign(UIUC) Yuan Zhao and Vijitashwa Pandey worked on a project researching life cycle lengths within product take-back. By analyzing manufacturing data of recycled computers, they have been able to determine the average and expected life span of computers according to the electronics manufacturer. Their research presents a method for performing long range product portfolio design planning so that the manufacturer can determine optimal take-back times, end-of-life design decisions, and number of lifecycles.
Their research findings were awarded the Best Paper Award at the ASME Design for Manufacturing and the Lifecycle Conference in San Diego, California. Additionally, Professors Thurston and Kim presented their research at the Electronics and Sustainability Symposium on February 23, 2010.
Hard Drive Re-imaging Data
PC Rebuilders and Recyclers (PCRR) offers two electronics drop off locations, one at their warehouse (3053 N. Knox, Chicago, IL 60641) and another at Goose Island. PCRR clears computer hard drives of any information, refurbishes or recycles the hardware (it is only recycled if it cannot be refurbished), and the refurbished machines are then donated to non-profit organizations, schools, churches, low income families, and others. During the data-wiping process, PCRR collects basic hardware data for research purposes. The information collected includes: data of hard drive manufacture, first and last dates used, date of donation, manufacturer, and model of the computer. Given this information, SEI has been performing analyses in order to determine the age of the computer, years of use and storage, as well as reimaging data. The quantitative data provided by PCRR provides detailed analytical information used to determine the average lifespan and storage of computers based on their manufacturer and model. In addition, the data allows for further research to compare the life span of the hardware with the life span of the computer image used on computers.
Design for Energy and the Environment Laboratory
The Design for Energy and the Environment Laboratory (DEE Lab) conducts collaborative product design and development research focusing on sustainable, energy-efficient products and product systems. Multidisciplinary teams of research faculty and students from design, engineering, and marketing address leading-edge challenges in semester-long projects. Projects provide an opportunity to address problems with a fresh, independent perspective outside the typical corporate routine. Through spon¬sored projects, members have the opportunity to work with and assess potential hires. DEE Lab is located at ISTC, a neutral site facilitating research collaboration and research sharing between competitors.
EPEAT Standards Development
Members of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative are active members of the Electronics Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). EPEAT is a system which gives purchasers a way to compare electronics based on their environmental impacts. Manufacturers and their computers can receive a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating. You can find out about EPEAT criteria here. While criteria exist for computers (desktops and laptops), EPEAT is currently working to develop standards for imaging equipment and televisions. SEI staff and members are working with various stakeholders, who include members of the environmental community, manufacturers, public and private purchasers, resellers, recyclers, refurbishers, and other interested parties. If you would like to get involved with EPEAT standards development, you can do so here.