EE-toolbox -: A modular assessment system for the environmental optimization of electronics

Electronic products are so complex and fast evolving that specific life cycle analysis (LCA) during the product development are still not feasible. One successful alternative is a modular evaluation concept. The spectrum of companies in electronics - from the small, specialized company where one person handles all environmental affairs to the global players with their own environmental research departments - requires a flexible mixture of basic research and reliable data generation, contract R&D, and the transfer of results and methods into management workflows. Several electronic systems mainly from information and communications products have been assessed with a different number of modules, depending on the expected or necessary width and depth of results. For all examples optimization strategies and specific improvements will be shown.