Sustainable Electronics Initiative

Sustainable Electronics Initiative
AbbreviationSEI
Formation2009 (2009)
PurposeElectronics sustainability
Location
Director
Tim Lindsey
Affiliated Faculty
William Bullock
Industry Affiliate
Willie Cade
Parent organization
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability
AffiliationsPC Rebuilders and Recyclers
Websitehttp://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/

Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) is an initiative started in the United States in the summer of 2009 by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, which is a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. SEI is dedicated to developing and implementing sustainable means for the design, manufacturing, remanufacturing, and recycling of electronics (computers, cell phones, televisions, printers, etc.) Members of SEI include individuals from academia, non-profit organizations, government agencies, manufacturers, designers, recyclers and refurbishers.[1]

The goals of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative are to provide research, education, technical assistance, and data management for the general public and other interested parties with regards to electronics and electronic waste.[2] SEI conducts collaborative research with professors and industry representatives, facilitates networking and information exchange among its participants, promotes the diffusion of technology through demonstration projects, and it provides a forum for discussion of applicable policies and legislation.[3]

SEI was created as a response to the growing national and international demand for more sustainable electronic designs and more environmentally friendly ways to handle electronics once they reach the end of their useful lives. Currently, individual states have passed laws regarding ewaste, but federal legislation has not yet been passed.[4] The United States House of Representatives and United States Senate are, however, currently considering federal legislation which will fund electronics research, recycling, and refurbishing.[5]

Bill S.1397[6] was proposed by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in July 2009. The bill addresses the illegal dumping of electronic waste to undeveloped countries. More importantly, however, the bill also focuses on the importance of research and development for the designing and manufacturing of sustainable electronics, which would be recycled, reused, and refurbished more easily.[7] The European Union, on the other hand, has passed several strict laws governing electronic equipment and its disposal.[8]

While one of the SEI goals is to minimize waste, this goal can be reached through the application of life cycle analyses. By analyzing the complete life cycle of a product, SEI will take into consideration the design, processing, manufacturing, use, and disposal stages of electronic equipment. With the use of life cycle analyses, SEI plans to make the overall process of computers and other electronics more sustainable and less environmentally harmful.

  1. ^ Sustainable Electronics Initiative: Mission, 2009, retrieved 5 November 2009
  2. ^ Barnes, Laura (8 September 2009), SEI "Ask an Expert" Service Provides Information on Electronics and the Environment, archived from the original on 20 June 2010, retrieved 7 January 2010
  3. ^ Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (July 2009). "Strategies for Improving the Sustainability of E-Waste Management Systems: Concept Paper" (PDF). Retrieved 3 November 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ Electronics TakeBack Coalition, State Legislation, retrieved 30 October 2009
  5. ^ Greenemeier, Larry (29 October 2009). "U.S. Lags Behind World with Its Patchwork Approach to Curbing E-Waste". Scientific American. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  6. ^ Bill S.1397
  7. ^ Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act of 2009, S. 1397, 111th Cong. (2009)
  8. ^ RoHS Compliance, RoHS Compliance in the EU, archived from the original on 5 January 2010, retrieved 30 October 2009