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 [b- Ellen]. 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.
This report investigates current approaches, concepts and metrics of CE and RE and their applicability for the ICT infrastructure goods.
This Supplement
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 standardisation.
The scope of the present document includes the following aspects: upgradability, repairability, removability, durability, reusability, recyclability, recoverability, refurbishability, remanufactureability. The following additional parameters, indicators and metrics are included: recycled content, use of critical raw materials, proportion of re-used parts. |
