How Modularity of Electronic Functions Can Lead to Longer Product Lifetimes

Although electronics are not the cause of the biggest environmental concerns in absolute terms they receive special attention, because the impact per unit can be very high even for small devices and because electronics pervade our everyday life and our business life. Since a huge amount of resources is embedded in the products as they are delivered to the market, extending the product use time is for many product categories a primary ecodesign improvement option. Yet there are many obstacles to simply making products more robust and longer lasting ? and to adapt the user behaviour and the business models to these potentially higher priced products. It is therefore worthwhile to rethink product concepts for the circular economy by using modularity to achieve better repair, better upgradability and in general a better customisation to the changing needs along a chain of ownership.