Ruediger Kuehr

Strategic sustainable development — selection, design and synergies of applied tools

The number of tools and approaches to develop sustainability is growing rapidly. Sometimes they are presented as if they are contradictory or in competition. However, a systems approach consistent with basic principles and the requirements of sustainability shows that these tools are complementary and can be used in parallel for strategic sustainable development. In fact, it is only when using these approaches outside of the systemic context of sustainability that they become contradictory. This paper is a collective effort of scientists who have pioneered some of these tools and approaches. The paper maps essential elements for developing sustainability and documents how these elements relate to the application of the respective tools. The objective is to show how these tools and approaches relate to each other and build on each other when used for planning for sustainability.  2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computers and the environment : understanding and managing their impacts

Manufacturing computers is materials intensive; the total fossil fuels used to make one desktop computer weigh over 240 kilograms, some 10 times the weight of the computer itself. This is very high compared to many other goods: For an automobile or refrigerator, for example, the weight of fossil fuels used for production is roughly equal to their weights. Also, substantial quantities of chemicals (22 kg), and water (1,500 kg) are also used. The environmental impacts associated with using fossil fuels (e.g. climate change), chemicals (e.g. possible health effects on microchip production workers) and water (e.g. scarcity in some areas) are significant and deserve attention. The environmental benefits and economic costs of recycling computers under the European Union legislation WEEE depend very much on how the system is implemented. Recycling managed by a monopolist concern, whose main interest is meeting simple recycling targets for a fixed fee, could result in an expensive system with relatively small environmental benefit. A multilateral concern aimed at maximizing profit and reuse across the life cycle presents a more promising picture. Decisions by consumers on how PCs are used and disposed of have an enormous effect on environmental impacts. Extending the usable life is very effective for reducing all types of burdens, but relatively few older PCs are being resold, refurbished or recycled – most are stored in warehouses, basements, or closets and eventually end up in landfills. Awareness building and incentives are needed so that consumers will consider environmental issues when buying, using and finally disposing of a computer.

One WEEE, many species: lessons from the European experience

Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) pervades modern lifestyles, but its quick obsolescence is resulting in huge quantities of EEE to be disposed of. This fast-growing waste stream has been recognized for its hazard potential. The European Union’s (EU) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was essentially in response to the toxicity of e-waste — to ensure that it was collected and treated in an environmentally sound manner. Since then, the WEEE Directive has expanded its aims to include recovery of valuable resources as a means to reduce raw material extraction. With these objectives in mind, the Directive sets a common minimum legislative framework for all EU member states. However, the transposition of the Directive into national legislations has meant many differences in actual implementation models. There are 27 national transpositions of the Directive with different definitions, provisions and agreements. Each legislation reflects national situations, whether they are geographical considerations, legislative history, the influence of lobby groups and other national priorities. Although this diversity in legislations has meant massive problems in compliance and enforcement, it provides an opportunity to get an insight into the possible operational models of e-waste legislation. Building on the study by the United Nations University commissioned by the European Commission as part of its 2008 Review of the WEEE Directive, the paper identifies some key features of the Directive as well as legislative and operational differences in transposition and implementation in the various members states. The paper discusses the successes and challenges of the Directive and concludes with lessons learnt from the European experience.

Today’s Markets for used PCS—and Ways to Enhance them

The environmental impacts associated with the production and disposal of personal computers are exacerbated by their short lifespan, which increases demand for the production of new units and, ultimately, adds to the number of computers destined for landfills or recycling centers. Extending the lifespans of computers should therefore be a priority in their environmental management. One important and practical way to do this is by encouraging markets for used personal computers (PCs). Computers are normally disposed of long before they break down or wear out; rather, the user wants a new machine with better performance and new functions. Not all users require high performance, however; the most popular applications of PCs (e-mail, Internet, office software) often work just as well on older machines. Despite falling prices in recent years, PCs remain an expensive item; thus, presuming it can meet their computing needs, many users will find the lower price of a used machine attractive.

Managing PCS Through Policy: Review and Ways to Extend Lifespan

On May 12, 1941 a young German named Konrad Zuse presented his latest development to a small, select group of people. Unnoticed by the public, the student of civil engineering at Berlin’s Technical University had succeeded in making his dream a reality. It was called the “Z3,” the world’s first functioning programmable calculator, and it marked the start of a new era. The operational target that Zuse accomplished was to replace the dull necessity of manual calculations with a machine. The mechanical contraption, made of 40,000 components and 2,500 telephone relays, was able to save 64 numbers in its memory and execute basic arithmetic operations (Konrad Zuse Internet Archive 2001).

Computers and the Environment—An Introduction to Understanding and Managing their Impacts

In just two decades, personal computers (PCs) have become ubiquitous in the homes and offices of the industrialized world. Manufacturing, sales, management, medicine, etc.,—all depend on computers now to function efficiently. E-mail has become indispensable in our day-to-day communications with family members, friends, and colleagues. It is now hard to imagine life (in rich countries) without computers in one form or other. Despite the rise of a variety of new devices to deliver information services, such as the Internet-capable cell phone, there is no obvious substitute on the horizon for the key features of a PC: large display, input keyboard, and personal information processing and storage capability.