REPIC, the industry leading waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) producer compliance scheme, is part of two European consortia of leading experts that have commenced ambitious research projects – to develop a data platform to provide a better understanding of the green credentials of electronic products (CE-RISE) and guidance to improve the secondary raw materials knowledge base (FutuRaM).
The news comes as a peloton of cyclists set off from Pitlochry to Perth on stage three of the REPIC WEEE Cycle Network event on Sunday 4th June, a distance of 60 miles.
REPIC, is undertaking the event to mark the 15 year anniversary of the UK’s WEEE regulations. Six members of the REPIC team were joined by ICER’s Claire Snow on the third stage of the 15 day cycling event. Understanding the information needs of our industry is vital to the success of these European projects and we look forward to engaging ICER members in the research.
The event aims to bring together the wider sector to celebrate the achievements of those involved in the reuse and recycling of waste electricals. In total, the 15 day, 15 location and 15 great stories event, will cover a distance of over 850 miles, from Alness in the Highlands to Sittingbourne, Kent.
Celebrating 15 great stories along the route, and joining up a network of AATFs, Local Authority sites, repair and reuse initiatives, the REPIC WEEE Cycle Network event is also providing an opportunity to look forward to what lies ahead in both the forthcoming WEEE consultation and the transition to a more circular economy.
The Circular Economy Resource Information System (CE-RISE) project
Together with 27 other partners, composed of leading experts representing the entire value chain of electronic products as well as IT experts, and research institutions focusing on raw materials. The Circular Economy Resource Information System (CE-RISE) project aims to develop and pilot an integrated framework and resource information system to identify optimal solutions for the effective reuse, recovery, and/or recycling of materials.
REPIC will support work to define a set of criteria to evaluate the extent to which products and embedded components can be reused, repaired, refurbished and/or recycled. These resource efficiency criteria and the material composition of products will be combined into a Digital Product Passport (DPP) to enable traceability of materials in the supply chain. The new information system will allow for the integration of this information with other product information such as product environmental footprints. This will enable confidential and anonymised information sharing throughout value chains and an information source for industry, policy makers and consumers.
FutuRaM – Future availability of secondary raw materials
FutuRAM, is establishing a methodology, reporting structure, and guidance to improve the knowledge base for secondary raw materials including projections up to 2050. It will integrate secondary raw materials (SRM) and critical raw materials (CRM) data to model the current stocks and flows and availability. It will further develop, demonstrate and align SRM recovery with the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) for Resources used for mining projects. This considers not only the availability of resources but also the extent to which it is feasible to mine, or urban mine them, based on environmental, technical and economic feasibility. This will support commercial exploitation of SRMs and CRMS by manufacturers, recyclers and investors. FutuRaM covers six waste streams; batteries, electricals and electronic equipment, vehicles, mining slags and ashes, and construction and demolition.
Alongside WEEE Forum members from France and Italy, REPIC will provide expertise and information on EEE and WEEE flows. It will also take part in a UK mass balance case study for the secondary raw materials arising from WEEE.
Commenting on the involvement in both research projects, REPIC’s Chief Executive, Louise Grantham, added: “REPIC is committed to making a difference and research projects can provide a valuable opportunity to improve the sector’s knowledge, data and intelligence. These particular collaborations offer the opportunity to improve the knowledge and access we can provide to producers to support their transition to a circular economy and continue to drive more sustainable innovation.”
Note
Both projects have been funded by the EU Horizon programme and The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) in Switzerland. REPIC’s participation is funded by the UK Research and Innovation ’Horizon Europe guarantee’ scheme.
Read more about the projects:
