ETSI TR 103 476 V1.1.1 (2017-01)

TECHNICAL REPORT
Environmental Engineering (EE);
Circular Economy (CE) in Information
and Communication Technology (ICT);
Definition of approaches, concepts and metrics

2 ETSI TR 103 476 V1.1.1 (2017-01)

Reference
DTR/EE-EEPS65
Keywords
e-waste management,
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3 ETSI TR 103 476 V1.1.1 (2017-01)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 5
Foreword . 5
Modal verbs terminology . 5
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 References . 6
2.1 Normative references . 6
2.2 Informative references . 6
3 Definitions and abbreviations . 12
3.1 Definitions . 12
3.2 Abbreviations . 13
4 Introduction of Circular Economy concepts . 14
5 Circular Economy related legislation and standards . 16
6 Circular Economy business models . 16
7 Circular Economy aspects and parameters affecting the environmental impact in different life
cycle stages . 17
7.0 Introduction . 17
7.1 Raw Material Acquisition stage . 17
7.1.1 Recycled content . 17
7.1.2 Use of Critical Raw Materials. 18
7.1.3 Proportion of re-used parts . 18
7.2 Use stage . 18
7.2.1 Durability . 18
7.2.2 Upgradability . 18
7.2.3 Removability. 19
7.2.4 Reparability. 19
7.3 End-of-Life stage . 19
7.3.0 Introduction. 19
7.3.1 Reusability . 20
7.3.2 Recyclability . 20
7.3.3 Recoverability . 21
7.3.4 Refurbishability . 22
7.3.5 Remanufactureability . 22
8 Assessment methods and parameters . 22
9 Examples of actions taken by the ICT industry. 22
10 Reporting . 23
11 Insights and conclusions . 23
12 Suggestions for future standardization activities . 24
Annex A: Observations regarding CE . 25
A.0 Introduction . 25
A.1 Recycling & e-waste . 25
A.2 Recycled content example for metals . 25
A.3 Design process . 25
Annex B: Additional examples of aspects, parameters, indicators and metrics . 27
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4 ETSI TR 103 476 V1.1.1 (2017-01)
B.0 Introduction . 27
B.1 Resource productivity. 27
B.2 Electronics Disposal Efficiency . 27
B.3 Material Reutilization . 27
B.4 Material Circularity Indicator . 27
B.5 RRR benefit rates . 28
B.6 Value-based circularity indicator for recycled content. 28
B.7 Reusability . 28
B.8 Company sustainability assessment model using CE indicators . 28
Annex C: Use of LCA in the context of CE . 29
Annex D: Equation examples . 30
D.1 Cost of refurbishment . 30
D.2 Cost of remanufacturing . 30
Annex E: Reuse example . 31
History . 32

ETSI
5 ETSI TR 103 476 V1.1.1 (2017-01)
Intellectual Property Rights
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (https://ipr.etsi.org/).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web
server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Foreword
This Technical Report (TR) has been produced by ETSI Technical Committee Environmental Engineering (EE).
Modal verbs terminology
In the present document "should", "should not", "may", "need not", "will", "will not", "can" and "cannot" are to be
interpreted as described in clause 3.2 of the ETSI Drafting Rules (Verbal forms for the expression of provisions).
"must" and "must not" are NOT allowed in ETSI deliverables except when used in direct citation.
Introduction
In order to facilitate a shift to a more sustainable economy, Circular Economy (CE) has been proposed as one of the
main ways forward. In this context, CE combined with Information and Telecommunication Technologies (ICT) could
enable decoupling of economic growth and environmental impact [i.1]. Due to the seemingly scattered understanding of
the topic of CE, and its main aspect Resource Efficiency (RE), it will be necessary to summarize, and then standardize,
the manner in which CE and RE is quantified.
In 2015, the European Commission issued Mandate 543 (M/543), Standardization Request with regard to ecodesign
requirements on material efficiency aspects for energy-related products [i.2] requesting European standardization
organizations to develop needed standards. ETSI EE accepted this mandate for ICT infrastructure goods. However, the
present document was initiated before the Mandate 543 and is not seen as an ETSI TC EE deliverable for Mandate 543.
Nevertheless, the present document is expected to provide valuable input for the Mandate 543 work.
The present document aims to provide an overview of the most important existing aspects, parameters, indicators,
metrics, results, and business models used for estimating the resource efficiency and CE characteristics of ICT
infrastructure goods as input for further standardization.
The present document is intended to provide an aid for all users of CE and RE concepts within the ICT infrastructure
sphere.
ITU-T SG5 (Q13/5) has made preliminary descriptions of RE for ICT goods [i.3], which have been considered in the
development of the present document which focuses more broadly on CE aspects for ICT infrastructure goods.
Furthermore, the Methodology for Ecodesign of Energy-related Products (MEErP) report, as used in the framework of
the Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC) [i.2], has been used as background information for materials efficiency aspects.
ETSI
6 ETSI TR 103 476 V1.1.1 (2017-01)
1 Scope
The present document investigates current approaches, concepts and metrics of CE and RE and their applicability for
the ICT infrastructure goods. The present document:
1) introduces CE and RE,
2) describes CE as used in the ICT industry,
3) describes existing CE and RE metrics and examples of their use,
4) proposes next steps in CE and RE standardization.
The scope of the present document includes the following aspects: upgradability, reparability, removability, durability,
reusability, recyclability, recoverability, refurbishability, manufacturability. The following additional parameters,
indicators and metrics are included: recycled content, use of critical raw materials, proportion of re-used parts.
The present document was developed jointly by ETSI TC EE and ITU-T Study Group 5. It is published respectively by
ITU and ETSI as Supplement ITU-T L.Suppl.28 [i.72] and the present document, which are equivalent in technical
content.
The present document provides a guide to CE aspects, parameters, metrics, indicators for ICT infrastructure goods.
2 References
2.1 Normative references
Normative references are not applicable in the present document.
2.2 Informative references
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific. For specific references, only the cited version applies. For non-specific references, the latest version of the
referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication, ETSI cannot guarantee
their long term validity.
The following referenced documents are not necessary for the application of the present document but they assist the
user with regard to a particular subject area.
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7 ETSI TR 103 476 V1.1.1 (2017-01)
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WEEE: Environmental impacts and resultant issues". Waste Management 2016.
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[i.65] Sundin, E.; Lee, H.M.: "In what way is remanufacturing good for the environment?" Proceedings
of EcoDesign 2011 International Symposium. p. 551-556.
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nvironment.
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[i.66] Goldey, C.; Kuester, E.; Mummert, R.; Okrasinski, T.A.; Olson, D.; Schaeffer, W.J.: "Lifecycle
assessment of the environmental benefits of remanufactured telecommunications product within a
'green' supply chain". In Proceedings of IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems
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efits_of_Remanufactured_Telecommunications_Product_within_a_Green''_Supply_Chain.
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3 Definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of the present document, the following terms and definitions apply:
aspect: field of CE
NOTE: Examples include removability, durability, recyclability, reparability.
assessment method: procedure for determining the value of a metric or indicator and validating it
NOTE: The method could include measurement and calculation.
indicator: quantifiable representation of a parameter
NOTE: Example includes Service Output per Material Input.
metric: measurable representation of a parameter or indicator
NOTE: Examples include mass of product, disassembly time, and re-used parts.
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parameter: entity representing an aspect
NOTE: Examples include R and R
cyc cov.
Recycled content (RC): proportion, by mass, of recycled material in a product or packaging
NOTE: Only pre-consumer and post-consumer materials should be considered as recycled content [i.6].
pre-consumer material: material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process
NOTE: Excluded is reutilization of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable
of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it [i.6].
post-consumer material: material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in
their role as end-users of the product which can no longer be used for its intended purpose
NOTE: This includes returns of material from the distribution chain [i.6].
re-use: any operation by which component parts of end-of-life products are used for the same purpose for which they
were conceived [i.5] and [i.70]
recycling: reprocessing in a production process of the waste materials for the original purpose or for other purposes,
excluding processing as a means of generating energy [i.5] and [i.70]
recovery: reprocessing in a production process of the waste materials for the original purpose or for other purposes,
together with processing as a means of generating energy [i.5]
refurbishment: processing hardware and/or software of an ICT good, a plug-in unit or system module of a used ICT
good for reuse through e.g. testing, cleaning and repair
NOTE: Refurbished ICT goods could be re-used by the owner or resold.
remanufacturing: process in which one or more part(s) are reworked to compose a new part/good
NOTE: More commonly used in mechanical engineering where mechanical part/product is reworked to
correspond a new part/product, e.g. car engine.
repair: restore to working order
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following abbreviations apply:
ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
B2B Business-to-Business
B2C Business-to-Customer
Btu British thermal unit
C2C Cradle to Cradle
CAPEX Capital Expenses
CE Circular Economy
CFC ChloroFluoroCarbons
CPU Central Processing Unit
ECD Environmentally Conscious Design
EDE Electronic Disposal Effectiveness
EEE Electrical and Electronic Equipment
EOL End Of Life
EoLT End of Life Treatment
EU European Union
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
HCFC HydroChloroFluoroCarbons
IC Integrated Circuit
ICT Information and Communication Technology
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
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LCA Life Cycle Assessment
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LCI Life Cycle Inventory
LTE Long Term Evolution
MCI Material Circularity Indicator
MR Material Reutilization
OPEX Operating Expenses
PAS Planning Advisory Service
PCBA Printed Circuit Board Assembly
RAN Radio Access Network
RBUR Reusability benefit rate
RBVR Recovery benefit rate
RC Recycled Content
R Recoverability rate
cov
RCR Recyclability rate of a Part
R Recyclability rate
cyc
RE Resource Efficiency
RP Resource Productivity
R Reusability rate
reuse
RRR Reusability/Recyclability/Recoverability rate of a part
RUR Reusability rate of a Part
RVR Recoverability rate of a Part
WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
WEEE Waste electrical and electronic equipment
4 Introduction of Circular Economy concepts
Circular Economy (CE) is a wide concept which covers both the full lifecycle of goods and business models. In general
CE is about closing the loop between different life cycles through design that enable greater recycling and reuse in order
to use raw materials, goods and waste in a more efficient way, and to increase energy performance. Thus CE is
associated with strategies to keep goods out of landfill and incineration [i.7]. CE deals with both environmental and
economic aspects. In an ideal CE, all waste generated would be reused as raw material in production processes. It is
clear that discarded goods represent a valuable source of raw materials [i.8]. However, in practice trade-offs have to be
made with parameters such as reliability and cost. The Resource efficiency (RE) is sometimes used interchangeably
with the CE concept. However, RE focus more on efficient use of resources and on minimizing the environmental
impact of a good during its life cycle. An example of a generalized Resource Efficiency (RE) definition is dealing with
the benefit obtained from the use of natural resources [i.4]. Furthermore, materials efficiency is used in parallel with
RE, or as a more precise concept dealing with raw materials only, excluding energy. In the present document, RE is
seen as a sub-category of CE, and materials efficiency as a part of RE.
In the present document, CE and RE aspects and parameters/metrics/indicators are discussed.
Researchers have attempted to provide an understanding of the scope and limitations of particular existing resource
efficiency indicators in order to assist policy makers and the scientific community in the application and further
development of indicators [i.9].
As shown in figure 1, both for CE and for RE, the full life cycle of the good should be taken into account.
Through the design stage, it is possible to influence all the most important aspects; minimizing material usage and
environmental impacts. Goods can be designed to be used longer, repaired, upgraded, refurbished, remanufactured
and/or eventually recycled instead of being thrown away. One important point of view is to avoid use of hazardous and
rare earth materials when possible. [i.10] In addition to reducing the materials, the focus is on energy usage during the
whole life cycle of goods, which means improved efficiency in the production and use stages.
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Production
e
Repair
r
u
t
c
Natural Materials
a Use
f
u
resources
aquisition
n
a
m
e
R
End of
life cycle
Landfill
Energy recovery
End of
last life cycle
Figure 1: Interventions and other mechanisms that influence the flows
in the material life cycle of ICT goods (modified from [i.11])
NOTE: End of last life cycle means that the ICT infrastructure good can no more be circulated.
In addition to figure 1, figure 2 shows some relationships between various CE aspects which are described in more
detail in clause 7.
Raw Materials
Aquisition
R
e
Re pai r
c
y
c
l
e
Assembly of
R Assembly
Parts Production e ICT infrastructure Operation (Use)
R
m
of modules e
f
a goods
u
n
r
u b
R
f
i
a s e
h
c u
t
s
u
e
r
e T
e T
e
s
t
s
T
i
t
n
e
i
g n
s
g
t
i
n
g
Shredding of Disassembly of
ICT infrastructure ICT infrastructure
goods goods
Figure 2: Relationships between different CE aspects (adapted from [i.12])
Table 1 shows a summary of CE aspects, the level of disassembly, and the expected quality of the ICT infrastructure
good after CE related action.
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Table 1: CE aspects for ICT infrastructure goods, level of disassembly
and expected quality (adapted from [i.12])
CE aspect Level of disassembly of Expected quality of ICT Examples
ICT infrastructure good infrastructure good
Maintenance None Working Replace fan filter.
order
Repair ICT infrastructure Good Working Repair blade servers.
down to faulty part order
Reuse (direct) None "As-is" Operators reuse directly base
stations in another location.
Refurbish Good or module Specified To make the good function
level according to a specified target
level.
Remanufacture Part 'Like-new part' Examples could n
...