A decision support model based on a reference point method for end-of-life electronic product management

Although a decision support system is an efficient tool that has been widely used in management areas, it still encounters some problems when it is implemented in an environmentally conscious decision-making problem. Those problems include lack of sufficient and reliable data on environmental impact of end-of-life product treatment, material composition analysis, proper expression of the users’ aspiration levels, system architecture, and the proper optimization method. This paper proposes a systematic decision-making tool for end-of-life (EOL) electronic product recycling scenario analysis and selection. This model can help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) specify the most satisfactory recyclers based on the buyers’ prices and environmental impacts; it can also assist recyclers decide the recycling scenarios for a batch of end-of-life electronic products based on the EOL value, environmental impacts, and processing time. The decision-making process includes the following steps: selection and definition of attributes, quantifying impacts, scaling of attributes, aggregation, and an interactive optimization process. A reference point method is used in the optimization process.