Waste and Resource Management Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Waste and Resource Management 167 August 2014 Issue WR3

Volume 167 Issue WR3 Pages 101–108 http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/warm.13.00031
A case study of the D4R laptop Paper 1300031
Received 24/09/2013 Accepted 02/05/2014
Hickey, Fitzpatrick, Maher et al. Keywords: energy conservation/research &development/
sustainability

ice | proceedings ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

A case study of the D4R laptop

&
1 Stewart Hickey PhD, MBA &
6 Peter Beigl MSc, Dipl.-Ing. Mag.
Research Fellow, Electronic and Computer Engineering Department, Research Assistant, Institute of Waste Management, University of
University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
&
2 Colin Fitzpatrick PhD &
7 Itziar Vidorreta BSc, MEng
Lecturer, Electronic and Computer Engineering Department, University Project Manager, Gaia, San Sebastián, Spain
of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland &
8 Mona Yang BA, MEM
&
3 Paul Maher Senior Engineer, AU Optronics Corporation, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Managing Director, MicroPro Computers, Dublin, Ireland &
9 Ian D. Williams PhD, CChem
&
4 Jose Ospina MA(Arch) Professor and Head of the Centre for Environmental Sciences, Faculty
Development Consultant, MicroPro Computers, Dublin, Ireland of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton,
Southampton, UK
&
5 Karsten Schischke Dipl.-Ing.
&
10 Emilia den Boer Dr Inz.
Senior Researcher, Technische Universität/Fraunhofer IZM, Berlin,
Assistant Professor, Institute of Environment Protection Engineering,
Germany
Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, Poland

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10

The D4R (Design for recycling, repair, refurbishment and reuse) laptop was developed in conjunction with MicroPro
Computers (MPC), a Dublin-based computer manufacturer. MPC formed an industrial network with end-of-life
information technology (IT) asset management firms, IT refurbishers, component manufacturers and local industries
to produce a new design that has created a new use for their wastes, thus turning waste into resources. This has been
made possible through: D4R product design features that facilitate integration of by-product materials and
components into the manufacturing process; the creation of an industrial network of suppliers and local assembly
agencies permitting industrial metabolism of by-product materials and components into state-of-the-art laptop
products; and the creation of a resource exchange platform that increases the visibility of by-products to be
incorporated in newly manufactured systems. MPC has been able to successfully manufacture a universal shell
composed of a motherboard and a six-cell lithium battery, encapsulated in a wooden housing structure. The shell is
capable of accepting new laptop system components and also has the ability to integrate various diverse parts and
components, and parts and components of different specifications. The proposed manufacturing model illustrates an
entirely novel approach to industrial networking in computer manufacturing for the purpose of eliminating waste
and creating valuable by-products.

1. Introduction 2011). With an estimated 40250 Mt of WEEE generated annually

Consumerism and the trend of shortening lifecycles for electronic worldwide (Guan et al., 2007; Schluep et al., 2009), this creates a
products in particular have increased the worldwide disposal of host of sustainability challenges for the electronics industry and the
waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (Ongondo et al., growing number of industries that depend on electronics.

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 Waste and Resource Management A case study of the D4R laptop
Volume 167 Issue WR3 Hickey, Fitzpatrick, Maher et al.

Many governments around the world have adopted environ- This paper investigates the considerations involved in laptop
mental policies to enhance lifecycle thinking and preventative manufacturing in the context of industrial networks. The
measures for WEEE (Atasu and van Wassenhove, 2012; Tojo, article is structured as follows. Section 2 elaborates on the
2004). One such policy in the European Union (EU) is the development of the D4R laptop concept. Section 3 describes
WEEE directive 2002/96/EC (EC, 2003). However, despite the concept implementation in practice. Section 4 discusses the
comprehensive regulations regarding WEEE in the EU, it is economic, technological and market barriers impeding success-
estimated that only 25–40% is treated formally with the rest ful implementation of the concept. Finally, Section 5 presents a
either remaining in long-term storage or going to landfill or summary and outlook.
illegal export (UNU, 2008). Many unscrupulous operators
export WEEE illegally as this is more profitable than recycling 2. Concept development
it through formal channels (UNU, 2008; Widmer et al., 2005).
Assuming equipment does make it into the formal WEEE 2.1 Background
management channels, the material is often sent for recycling, For computer systems, a strong case has been made in the
which is energy intensive and does not recover many of the academic literature for eco-design to facilitate lifetime exten-
valuable critical materials in electronics (Chancerel et al., 2009; sion of the primary electronics parts (Hickey et al., 2009;
Epstein and Yuthas, 2011; UNEP, 2011). Truttmann and Rechberger, 2006; Williams, 2011). This stems
from the knowledge that the energy and carbon footprint for
Design for recycling, repair, refurbishment and reuse, or D4R, manufacturing can often exceed that associated with usage.
is one design strategy that focuses on reducing impacts at end- For example, the product carbon footprint of a mainstream
of-life (EoL). The associated design measures allow interven- laptop encompassing raw materials consumption, manufactur-
tion at ‘first EoL’ to bring back a product into a second ing, logistics, product use and EoL management was deter-
lifecycle and postpone the time when a product ultimately mined to be 300–400 kg carbon dioxide equivalents; of this
reaches its EoL (Marwede et al., 2011). The D4R concept figure, 150 kg was deemed attributable to the manufacturing
serves to mitigate environmental impacts incurred in manu- phase alone (Stutz and Moriarty, 2010). Another analysis
facturing and conserve critical resources required for produc- carried out on a separate laptop computer in 2012 estimated
tion of equipment by keeping products or components in use that 214 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents arise from produc-
for a longer period of time. tion and 138 kg from 5 years of use (Prakash, 2011). From
these examples, it is clear that any strategy involving the use of
The case study of the D4R laptop presented here is one of ten industrial networks to achieve the Zerowin vision in the
demonstrators being investigated as part of the European context of laptop manufacturing must involve design to
Framework 7 project Zerowin (Towards zero waste in industrial facilitate primary computer component reuse.
networks), running from 2009 to 2014. Industrial networking
focuses on a regional collaboration of companies from tradition- 2.2 D4R concept
ally different sectors to exchange by-products (materials, energy, The proposed concept is in line with the European waste
water, etc.) in such a way that the waste from one industry management hierarchy, which places reuse as the highest
becomes the raw material for another. The Zerowin project has priority. The Dublin-based computer manufacturer MicroPro
developed innovative approaches and strategies for the preven- Computers (MPC) formed an industrial network with EoL
tion of waste in industries based on the zero waste philosophy. information technology (IT) asset management firms, IT
Zero waste represents a shift from the traditional industrial model refurbishers and other local industries to produce a new design
in which wastes are considered the norm, to integrated systems in that creates a new use for their wastes, thus turning wastes into
which everything has its use (Curran and Williams, 2012). by-products. The industrial network is shown in Figure 1.

The D4R laptop manufacturing model described in this paper The focal point of the network is a barebones laptop that
was enabled through D4R measures and supply of by-product consists of a chassis, a universal motherboard and a battery,
parts and materials through an industrial network. The concept around which the D4R laptop is built. The laptop design is
involves the design of a universal motherboard that is a laptop such that it is capable of accepting diverse computer parts (e.g.
motherboard incorporating D4R design features that facilitate RAM, hard disks and processors of different specifications).
integration of by-product computer components into the The materials sourced from the industrial network to manu-
manufacturing process. The motherboard is incorporated into facture the new universal chassis include wood for the chassis
a barebones laptop chassis, also incorporating D4R product itself and cardboard to be used for packaging and distribution of
design features that facilitate integration of by-product materi- the final product. The liquid crystal display (LCD) screen,
als and used computer components into laptop production. memory, power supply, processor, keyboard, hard drive and

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 Waste and Resource Management A case study of the D4R laptop
Volume 167 Issue WR3 Hickey, Fitzpatrick, Maher et al.

lnput side Output side

Screens
Refurbisher

IT asset Components
Components
manager

Metal parts Components

IT refurbisher
manufacturer
Aluminium Material
supplier MicroPro Retailer Consumer
Wood
Furniture Motherboard Motherboards
manufacturer Chassis
supplier IT refurbisher
Battery Batteries Chassis
supplier IT refurbisher

Packaging
Local industry

Products
Core product (business)
By-products
Material
(Zerowin)
Manufacturer

Figure 1. D4R laptop concept based on the Zerowin project vision

other peripheral cables are also sourced from the industrial MPC, Rehab Recycle (a Dublin-based social economy IT asset
network. manager), ReUse Computer Network (a non-profit association
of IT refurbishers based in Germany), Emaus (a computer
Fundamental to the operation of the industrial network is the refurbisher and assembler based in Spain’s Basque region),
use of a web-based resource exchange platform (RXP) (www. Eguarlandua (association for the second transformation of wood
trxp.eu) to coordinate the availability and supply of by- in the Basque country), AU Optronics Corporation (AUO) (thin-
products for production planning. This was developed as part film transistor (TFT) LCD manufacturer, Taiwan), Geraghty
of a separate case study in the Zerowin project. Each member Furniture (furniture manufacturer based in Galway) and some
of the industrial network inputs information about the local industries (to supply materials required for packaging).
company’s availability of parts, including specification and Table 1 provides a list of the partners, highlighting their core
quality, and information on local marketing intelligence about business as well as their by-products stemming from their primary
demand. This exchange of information and materials within business activities.
the network enables a smooth manufacturing process, sales
and support services. This is also important to ensure the The new business model, based on an industrial network, is
consistent availability of parts. fully operational and scalable. The materials sourced from the
industrial network to manufacture the new universal chassis
A long-term objective is to take back products from consumers include used plywood (sourced from used pallets) for the
and make the universal chassis available to other members of cladding of the chassis and used cardboard to package and
the industrial network to resell or lease in their respective distribute the final product. The primary computer compo-
jurisdictions. This additional lifetime extension of the chassis, nents sourced from the industrial network to populate the
particularly the motherboard, can facilitate greater resource laptop include the LCD screen, RAM modules, the power
and energy efficiency. This provides further incentive for MPC supply, other peripheral cables, the processor, the keyboard
to incorporate D4R changes to facilitate lifetime extension of and the hard disk drive. These by-product parts are sourced
systems. from Rehab Recycle (Ireland), the Berlin ReUse Network and
Emaus/Eguarlandua (Basque partners) through the RXP.
3. Implementation
The network of companies cooperating with each other on Testing is a key part of ‘triage’ operations concerning
the basis of resources exchange in the case study includes electronics design to enhance reuse/recycling value (GEC,

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 Waste and Resource Management A case study of the D4R laptop
Volume 167 Issue WR3 Hickey, Fitzpatrick, Maher et al.

Partner Core business By-productsa

ReUse Computer Network Sale of refurbished systems Primary electronics components (RAM, hard disks,
LCD panels)
Rehab Recycle Sale of refurbished systems Primary electronics components (RAM, hard disks,
LCD panels)
NGS and Emaus Sale of refurbished systems Primary electronics components (RAM, hard disks,
LCD panels)
AUO Sale of new LCD panels Remanufactured LCD panels
Geraghty Furniture Sale of furniture Furniture off-cuts
CFTooling Sale of industrial equipment and tools Aluminium

a
By-products made visible through RXP for the manufacture of D4R laptop systems

Table 1. Partners in the D4R industrial network collaborating with

each other on the basis of resource exchange

2008): triage operations are defined as the ‘inventorying, The use of wood for casing manufacture (Figure 4) enables the
sorting and as appropriate, the testing, of incoming material chassis to be easily rebuffed, returning the material surface
in order to route into the selected business activities’. The finish to ‘like new’ by abrasion with sand paper. The use of
minimum basic testing standards for all used computer parts wood also enables the chassis to be replaced or reworked to
sourced from the network are detailed in Table 2. These tests accommodate a change in chassis design or small variations in
ensure that by-product parts re-integrated into the manufac- screen dimension.
turing process adhere to minimum quality thresholds. It is also
desirable for new industrial network partners to be certified The laptop has a 15?60 (39?6 cm) TFT LCD screen as shown in
to ISO 14001 (environmental), ISO 9001 (quality) and PAS Figure 5. (The largest market demand is for laptops with this
141:2010 (specification for the processing for reuse of waste particular screen dimension.) However, the laptop can also
and used electrical and electronic equipment). accommodate screen sizes as small as 13?30 (33?8 cm) provided
the front frame enclosure is substituted with one of the relevant
The D4R laptop, composed of a universal motherboard and a size. This design feature promotes more reuse of screens should
six-6 cell lithium battery encapsulated in a wooden housing they become available within the industrial network.
structure, is shown in Figure 2. The computer system was
designed around a universal motherboard (Figure 3) with design 4. Discussion
for repair and upgradability in mind. The motherboard itself The proposed D4R manufacturing model can facilitate
uses Sandy Bridge 1155 sockets and is capable of accepting a significant energy and resource savings over conventional
chipset that will facilitate Intel dual core i3, i5 and i7 processors. laptop manufacture. A comparison with conventional laptop
This is desirable to ensure that any shortage of specific processor manufacturing and the results of a lifecycle assessment
types in the industrial network can be replaced by a different illustrating the magnitude of the associated environmental
type from the same family of processors. savings will be presented in a subsequent paper. The following

Component Test requirements

Memory Stress test, burn in test, address test, math test

Hard drive Blanco test, surface test, self-monitoring and reporting technology test, random seek test
Processor Stress test, temperature test, address test
DVD drive DVD & CD testing, firmware update
Screen AUO total quality assurance system
Cable Functioning cables tested for continuity and shorts

Table 2. Minimum testing standards for used components sourced

through the RXP

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 Waste and Resource Management A case study of the D4R laptop
Volume 167 Issue WR3 Hickey, Fitzpatrick, Maher et al.

Figure 2. D4R laptop front view Figure 4. Casing front and back cover

paragraphs discuss the economic, technological and market to the IT asset management/refurbishment facilities. In addition,
barriers impeding successful implementation of the case study the physical distance between industrial network partners is of
concept. notable importance: the transport of by-products over long
distances negatively impacts profitability, meaning that the
4.1 Economic barriers distances to be covered need to be as short as possible.
The D4R network scenario proposed in this case study can Experience from an industrial symbiosis programme in Denmark
only be deemed economically feasible if there is an adequate (‘Kalundborg’) demonstrated that geographical distance is the
supply of quality used primary computer system components most important parameter when energy is exchanged between
to populate the universal shell. In turn, for an adequate supply companies (Jacobsen, 2006). In this instance, however, the by-
of second-generation components, there must be an adequate products being exchanged are materials and components that can
supply of end-of-use laptops to the industrial network partners be transported over larger distances. Some of the partners in the
dealing in end-of-use products. This is essentially an issue of programme (Rehab Recycle, Geraghty Furniture and CFTooling)
reverse logistics –supply uncertainties in terms of quality, are also located in Ireland, which augers well for the proposed
timing and quantity of returned products are issues that impact industrial network.
the feasibility of the proposed concept (Ferrer and Ayres, 2000;
Ferrer and Whybark, 2003). The RXP developed as part of the Zerowin project aims
to address the network constraint outlined previously. The
An efficient acquisition and reverse distribution system is objective of the exchange platform is to increase the availability
essential for tracking, collection and returning used products of parts/components to members of the industrial network.

Figure 3. D4R universal motherboard Figure 5. D4R disassembly, showing screen

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 Waste and Resource Management A case study of the D4R laptop
Volume 167 Issue WR3 Hickey, Fitzpatrick, Maher et al.

This will allow network partners to view the quality, timing primary system components of EoL systems), it is clear that
and quantity volumes of primary system computer parts (or design changes are required to make remanufacturing and/or
materials) in the network at any given time. Through refurbishing viable strategies. It is true that mid- to low-end
information sharing about the specification of parts being specification systems do not retain the high value core
received by the asset managers and IT refurbishers it will be evidenced by the prices for used motherboard and primary
possible to customise the product for different customer system components. An efficient testing process is therefore
segments based on their technical requirements. The platform imperative to ensure the success of these strategies.
will also be an invaluable source of information regarding
trends in availability of parts and will enable MPC to develop MPC and its industrial partners have adopted functionality tests
iterative versions of the universal motherboard to cope with (Table 2) to test primary laptop parts to an acceptable level.
emerging trends in IT waste. In addition, partners will also However, this testing process is time consuming. Condition
share information about market demands and trends in monitoring technologies are a potential solution to the
various locations and feedback on how the product is being realisation of efficient triage operations to promote the success
received by customers in different markets. Indeed, the RXP of the D4R laptop concept operating at a macro-level into the
at this early stage of the Zerowin project is starting to future. The environmental lifecycle information management
demonstrate is ability concerning increasing product/compo- and acquisition project for consumer products (Elima) was an
nent availability for industrial networks, with 726 products EC-funded research project that demonstrated the successful
already registered on the platform by March 2013 (Deitrich operation of embedded usage monitoring technologies that can
et al., 2013). serve to enhance the profitability of triage operations (Elima,
2005). An extension of the condition monitoring concept
Knowing what quantities of products and materials are employing RFID for retrieval of lifecycle information to allow
available and where they are available is important for the more efficient and cost-effective triage operations was demon-
success of the proposed D4R industrial network. This is strated by Cronin et al. (2010). Parameters such as operating
particularly important in the context of the primary laptop time, operating temperature, operating voltage, power cycle
components potentially sourced from ReUse Computer counts, hard disk drive self-monitoring and reporting technol-
Network in Germany and the Basque network partners ogy attributes and operating system event information are
(NGS and Emaus). Radio frequency identification (RFID) currently attainable or derivable via embedded technologies in
used in conjunction with appropriate architectural frameworks modern desktop systems (Hickey et al., 2009). Extraction of this
can address this issue through increasing the visibility of by- lifetime usage data by way of RFID can provide an efficient
products in industrial networks. The experimental work cost-effective means of testing of used systems before streamlin-
carried out by Hickey et al. (2012) demonstrated that RFID ing respective system parts to the most appropriate EoL activity,
technology, taking a number of considerations into account, be it remanufacturing, reuse or recycling.
can achieve reliable EoL identification in addition to (and
ultimately facilitate) brand identification for individual produ- 4.3 Market barriers
cer responsibility. Suitable tags and optimal transponder Market barriers to the commercialisation of the D4R laptop
positions to enable reliable EoL identification for laptops, must be overcome in order to ensure its commercial viability.
desktops and LCD products have been demonstrated through The primary market barriers to the implementation of the D4R
an investigation of a series of EoL use case scenarios. It was concept are as follows.
also established that the middleware technology configuration
considered most appropriate for the electrical and electronic & Price. The D4R laptop cannot be produced in small
equipment sector was EPCglobal IT architecture. Further- numbers at a level that is competitive with commercial
more, at this point in time, it would be feasible to work with a brands. A substantial market demand would be required to
custom-made RXP as proposed within Zerowin and, once justify industrial production of the D4R.
standardisation of discovery services is complete, this will pave & Market identification. Given the unique characteristics of
the way for the creation of far more dynamic industrial the D4R, it is likely to appeal to very specific market
networks that do not need such a high level of administration segments. For a commercial drive to be successful given
as the proposed RXP. limited resources, it is essential to identify this market
segment accurately.
4.2 Technological barriers & Consumer confidence. The D4R must establish confidence
In terms of technological barriers to industrial networking, a in its potential market segments. This is related to effective
problem arises when assessing the quality of second-hand marketing and branding, but also to labelling, in particular
components. This issue arises from a lack of information the possibility of securing appropriate labelling (e.g. the
associated with returned products. In terms of testing (the European Eco-Label).

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 Waste and Resource Management A case study of the D4R laptop
Volume 167 Issue WR3 Hickey, Fitzpatrick, Maher et al.

5. Conclusion Elima (2005) Product lifecycle technology – results and

This paper has described an entirely novel approach to implications for business strategy. Proceedings of Elima
industrial networking in computer manufacturing for the Seminar, Vienna, Austria.
purpose of eliminating waste and creating valuable by-products. Epstein MJ and Yuthas Y (2011) Conflict minerals: managing an
At a product level, the universal motherboard and the barebones emerging supply-chain problem. Environmental Quality
laptop chassis with the ability to integrate various diverse parts Management 21(2): 13–25.
and components (and parts and components of different Ferrer G and Ayres R (2000) The impact of remanufacturing in
specifications) have been demonstrated as technically feasible. the economy. Ecological Economics 32(3): 413–429.
At a system level, the RXP can help to increase the availability Ferrer G and Whybark DC (2003) The economics of
of quality used components, which reduces quality, timing and remanufacturing. In Business Aspects of Closed-loop Supply
quantity uncertainties. This is also important for reliable Chains (Guide VDR and van Wassenhove L (eds)). Carnegie
industrial network operation. Mellon University Press, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
GEC (Green Electronics Council) (2008) Closing the Loop:
There are a few technological barriers at product level that Electronics Design to Enhance Reuse/Recycling Value.
negatively influence the feasibility of these processes. The Discussion Draft Report, Green Electronics Council in
results of this case study highlight the importance of industrial collaboration with the National Center for Electronics
networks in supporting reuse as a strategy for the elimination Recycling and Resource Recycling. GEC, Portland, OR,
of waste and the importance of eco-design and, more USA.
specifically, D4R strategies as the basis for waste elimination Guan YF, Wang JZ, Luo XJ, Mai BX and Zeng EY (2007) riverine
in industrial networks. inputs of polybrominated diphenyl ethers from the Pearl
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Acknowledgement Science and Technology 41(17): 6007–6013.
The research leading to these results received funding from the Hickey S, Fitzpatrick C, O’Connell M and Johnson M (2009) Use
European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme phase signals to promote lifetime extension for Windows
(FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 226752. PCs. Environmental Science and Technology 43(7): 2544–
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