The electronics sector is facing a range of sustainability challenges related to critical raw materials, energy, climate change and waste. This module will explore the implications of these pressures on the sector and introduce solutions to mitigate the impacts.

1. Sustainability in the Electronics Sector: Critical Raw Materials, Energy and Water in Manufacturing, Energy in the Use Phase, Climate Change and Carbon taxation, WEEE & Extended Producer Responsibility, E-Waste in Developing Countries 2. Sustainability Solutions in the Electronics Sector: Circular Economy & New Business Models, Materials Substitution & Thrifting, Renewable Energy & Smart Grids, Cloud Computing, Design for Remanufacturing/Reuse/Recycling, IoT and Life Consumption Monitoring, Extended Producer Responsibility 3. Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment and its implementation in the life cycle of electronic products/services

On successful completion of the module students will be able to Demonstrate an understanding of the potential supply chain disruptions related to critical raw materials in electronics. Explain the distinct roles of remanufacturing, refurbishment, and reuse, in the resource efficiency of electronic products and the importance of product designs in facilitating these Demonstrate an understanding of electronics recycling systems from a technical, financial, and behavioural perspective Discuss the role of cloud computing in environmental sustainability. Conduct a streamlined life cycle assessment of an electrical or electronic product and design a business model and product to demonstrate improved environmental performance over a baseline product Explain the role of new business models in facilitating the circular economy

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The module is heavily informed by research activities in the ECE Department. Students are provided with video content on the various parts of the syllabus and the lectures are flipped to be discussions on the content. Each topic also has a short quiz associated with it. The module culminates with a term project where students work in teams to develop a prototype product service system and quantify the life cycle benefits of their solution. Knowledgeable: The students will be received cutting edge information about the environmental problems associated with the electronics sector Collaborative & Creative: Students will work in teams to discuss and create collective solutions to the problems identified Articulate: Students will make presentations at three points in the module, submit a project reports. Responsible: The essence of the module is to enable engineers to have a responsible outlook towards the environment and society.