Alice Frantz Schneider

• Schneider, Alice Frantz; Matinfar, Sepideh; Martino Grua, Eoin; Casado-Mansilla, Diego & Cordewener, Lars (2018). Towards a sustainable business model for smartphones: Combining product-service systems with modularity. EPiC Series in Computing.  ISSN 2398-7340.  52, s 82- 99 . doi: 10.29007/djcz Show summary

  Based on the Sustainable Development Goals introduced by the United Nations and on the circular economy concept, ICT providers are adapting to become more sustainable. Some assess the CO2 emissions in the whole life cycle, while others propose to use renewable energies during manufacturing and assembling. In contrast with the current smartphone business models that rely on ongoing patterns of production and consumption, this paper proposes a more sustainable approach by combining product modularity, Product-Service Systems (PSS), and design for attachment. With a modular design, it becomes easier to repair the product or to replace parts, allowing for an extended lifespan. In combination with PSS, we propose that the modules, when no longer used by one customer, return to the market to be reused by another one. Lastly, we discuss the impact of the users’ behaviour through emotional bond, personalization, and technology appropriation as predictors of attachment to the product and consequently an extended lifespan. Through comparing case studies and using Life Cycle Assessment to calculate the CO2 equivalent emissions, we argue that our approach would directly reduce the environmental impact of the smartphone on the production phase, which accounts for most of the emissions throughout its life cycle.

• Schneider, Alice Frantz & Salerno, Mario Sergio (2015). Uncertainties in the recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: A literature review. International Journal of Mechanical and Production Engineering.  ISSN 2320-2092.  3(5), s 30- 35 Show summary

  A systematic literature search has been conducted at the intersection of e-waste and uncertainty and the main uncertainties identified have been categorized. The main uncertainties identified were: Different recycling technologies; unknown environmental impacts; different product design and composition; unknown reverse logistics costs; variable cost of recycling; rapidly changing nature of electrical and electronic equipment; unpredictability about return of items concerning quantity, quality and timing; unknown destination flow of e-waste; different value of scrap materials; competition between the manufacturer and the remanufacturer; no common legislation at the national and global level; outdated political aspects; and complexity of regulations.

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• Schneider, Alice Frantz & Hamdouch, Abdelillah (2015). The role of institutional proximity in building a circular economy with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: Foundations and lessons from the Swedish System. Show summary

  The European Commission has a series of programs towards the improvement of resource productivity. One of them is the Circular Economy package, approved on the 2nd of July 2014. Concerning Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Sweden is considered to be the world leader in collection and to have the best recovery system from the material point of view. Based on secondary data, the present work highlights the European Commission programmes concerning sustainable growth and circular economy, followed by studies of the Swedish case for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The paper is organized as follows: First, a review of circular economy is presented, followed by the explanation of some of the European Commission programmes concerning the subject. Second, the paper points to some theoretical considerations related to the difficulty to build or adopt ‘new rules of the game’ among actors driven by different rationalities and strategic objectives, as illustrated by the need to design and implement new and more efficient systems of waste management and recycling. Further, the Swedish case is studied in detail, with data taken from articles/papers and from Avfall Sverige, El-Kretsen and EPA’s websites and reports. The last part presents some final considerations. Among the main strengths identified in the Swedish system is the cooperation strategy between local authorities and producers and the consumer orientation towards a proper waste disposal.

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