Like other sectors, the EEE (electrical and electronic equipment) sector is fully committed to the ecological transition. Taking more virtuous paths is today an undeniable environmental necessity, and the approach is encouraged by increasingly demanding regulatory constraints. One thing is certain: transforming the EEE sector and adopting reduced-impact processes must involve all players. Manufacturers, subcontractors, distributors, installers and consumers: everyone has a role to play!
A role to play for every player in the sector
To meet the challenges of the ecological transition, the industry must be transformed in depth. For this, each player directly involved in the EEE value chain must find the solutions, at their level, that will reduce their impact.
The role of manufacturers
The electrical and electronic equipment industry is hit head-on by the climate emergency. Numerous expectations therefore weigh, first and foremost, on manufacturers:
- Designing more durable and more easily repairable products
- Processes with lower GHG emissions
- Products designed to consume less energy during their use phase
These developments require systematically carrying out full LCAs (Life Cycle Assessments). It is on the results of these LCAs that the eco-design of new products can be based.
With the AGEC law, manufacturers in the EEE industry are also subject to new standards that encourage sustainable production and consumption: the display of the repairability index since 2021, information on the software update period, and the durability index.
The subcontracting challenge
The companies subcontracting for EEE-sector manufacturers are essential partners in the ecological and energy transition. As such, they must meet an increasingly demanding set of specifications: adopting more virtuous practices and decarbonising their processes. More and more, subcontracting companies are selected for their responsible choices and their transparency, both regarding the materials used and the logistics solutions put in place.
On the distributors' side
Distributors are essential links in the value chain of electrical and electronic equipment. They too have a role to play in decarbonising the sector. The challenges for them lie at several levels: responsible supplier selection, clear consumer information, and the ethical prescription of solutions suited to needs.
The role of installers
Closest to consumers, installers are the link between the upstream and downstream of the EEE value chain. A virtuous commitment is therefore also expected of them: an effective advisory role with end consumers and the consideration of environmental indicators.
Finally, consumers
Alongside regulatory developments, expectations are asserting and strengthening on the consumer side. In France, according to a UNDP survey, three quarters of citizens already considered climate change a global emergency in 2021. A large share of consumers is therefore ready to change their purchasing and usage habits, in a threefold approach of reduction, reuse and recycling.
The emergence of new players confirms this trend: sale of refurbished equipment, in-person or remote repair, donation platforms, etc. Consumers increasingly have tools to make responsible choices thanks to new communication standards: repairability index, durability index, communication of GHG emissions linked to internet and mobile use.
The role of players around the sector
Working in a constellation around the direct players of the EEE value chain, other players have an important role to play in enabling the industry to meet its sustainable development goals.
The role of consultancies and engineering firms, in particular, is to effectively support the sector through analyses and recommendations with high transformative value: impact measurement work and optimisation recommendations, evolution of the production strategy through eco-design, etc.
At Qweeko, we thus offer all players in the EEE industry concrete solutions, promote the most sustainable choices and support them towards more environmentally friendly processes.