Repair is the Missing Link in Circularity for Electronics

Technical Summary: Repair as the Missing Link in Circularity for Electronics

Problem Statement
Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) represents a rapidly growing source of material demand and hazardous waste, with global e-waste generation reaching 62 million tonnes in 2022, of which only 22.3% was formally collected and recycled. While circular economy frameworks theoretically prioritize product-life extension (reuse, repair, refurbishment) over end-of-life material recovery (recycling), the practical implementation in the electronics sector remains structurally fragmented. Current systems are dominated by recycling, which is well-supported by infrastructure and policy, whereas higher-value retention strategies suffer from a lack of coordination between design, use-phase actors, and end-of-life treatment. The literature often examines these strategies in isolation, failing to address how they connect across the lifecycle or why the transition from design intent to extended product use frequently stalls.

Methodology
This study employs an integrative review of 155 peer-reviewed publications on circular economy implementation in the EEE sector. The corpus was constructed through systematic searches in Scopus and Web of Science, explicitly excluding the term "e-waste" to avoid bias toward recycling-focused studies and to capture a broader range of circular strategies. The analysis utilized a multi-dimensional coding framework:

• Strategies: Coded deductively using the 10R value-retention hierarchy (Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, Recover).
• Actors: Inductively clustered into five groups: Producers (OEMs/suppliers), Consumers, Governments, Recycling Facilities, and Intermediaries (logistics, service providers, platforms).
• Analysis: The study analyzed actor–strategy co-occurrence patterns, barrier/driver distributions, and network visualizations to identify structural fragmentation and implementation deficits.

Key Results
The analysis reveals a structural discontinuity in the electronics circular economy:

1. Fragmented Actor Roles: Producers are strongly associated with upstream strategies (Rethink, Reduce, Remanufacture), while Intermediaries dominate use-phase extension (Repair, Reuse, Refurbish). Recycling is the only strategy consistently connected to all actor groups, confirming its systemic dominance.
2. Weak Design-to-Use Links: Despite the theoretical positioning of "Rethink" (design innovation) as an enabler for downstream strategies, the data shows weak co-occurrence between upstream design interventions and downstream use-phase extensions. Products designed for durability or modularity often fail to reach the actors capable of extending their life due to limited coordination.
3. The Implementation Deficit: Repair and reuse face the highest number of implementation barriers (44 barriers vs. 16 drivers for repair) compared to recycling (39 barriers vs. 54 drivers). Repair is hindered by costs, skills gaps, spare-part access, and information asymmetry, whereas recycling benefits from established collection systems, automation, and regulatory support.
4. Repair as a Decision Node: Repair is identified not merely as a maintenance activity but as a critical triage point where products are assessed and routed toward reuse, component harvesting, or recycling. Currently, this routing is often ad-hoc or bypassed entirely, leading to premature entry into material recovery streams.

Proposed Solution and Mechanism
The paper argues that repair-centred triage combined with specialised recycling is the necessary mechanism to reconnect fragmented lifecycle stages. The proposed model involves a "hub-and-spoke" configuration where collected products first enter repair and triage hubs. Here, technicians assess condition and remaining useful life to:

• Route suitable products for repair or reuse.
• Dismantle unsalvageable units for component harvesting.
• Send only residual, non-recoverable materials to recycling.

This approach aims to create cleaner, more homogeneous feedstocks for recyclers, thereby improving the economic viability of recovering low-volume, high-value materials (e.g., rare earth elements) that are often lost in mixed-feedstock systems.

Significance and Claims
The paper claims three primary contributions to the field:

1. Interdependence of Strategies: It demonstrates that 10R strategies are not independent options but interdependent processes; the failure of one (e.g., repair) compromises the efficacy of others (e.g., high-quality recycling).
2. Identification of the Disconnect: It highlights a specific "design-to-use" disconnect where upstream circular intentions are not reliably translated into downstream outcomes due to weak actor coordination.
3. Policy and Systemic Alignment: It argues that policy instruments (Eco-design, Right to Repair, Extended Producer Responsibility) must be aligned to govern repair as circular infrastructure. Specifically, it suggests that EPR funding should be redirected to support repair capacity and that eco-modulation should reward designs that facilitate repair and component recovery.

The authors conclude that the goal is not to weaken recycling, but to ensure it receives better-characterised streams only after product and component value has been maximized. The study posits that without repair-led triage, the electronics sector will continue to prioritize volume-based material recovery over value retention, undermining the core objectives of the circular economy.