The eLife project investigates how the transition toward sustainable consumption of electronics can be strengthened within households and local communities. The project has made substantial progress across all key work packages.
Over the past year, interviews have been conducted with stakeholders in the electronics industry to identify challenges and opportunities related to a systemic shift toward a circular economy in the electronics sector (WP1). To gain insight into user habits, barriers, and interest in electronics repair among households, a national survey was developed and implemented. The results of this survey are expected to be published in November/December.
Additionally, approximately 20 in-depth interviews have been carried out with a diverse range of Norwegian households to explore usage patterns, potential drivers, and barriers (WP3). Interviews and co-creation workshops have also been conducted in connection with two of our user cases to better understand local challenges and opportunities (WP2 and WP5). These workshops will inform the development of long-term scenarios in WP6.
A central component of the project is collaboration and mutual learning based on our three main case studies. As part of this effort, a seminar was held in Hamar in June where preliminary findings and experiences were shared and discussed.
Consumption of electrical and electronic products (e-products) in households is currently responsible for producing increasing amounts hazardous e-waste, contributing to environmental degradation and growing GHG emissions. While industries, NGOs and governments have heavily promoted CE ideas and strategies, consumers have yet to embrace CE on a large scale. Studies suggest that the problem is not solely a lack of interest and motivation among citizens, but that consumption habits depend to a significant degree on external factors, such as infrastructure and technology, institutions, that can create lock-in situations. The eLife project will address these challenges by studying how emerging niche activities promoting lending, repair and reuse of e-products in local communities, can be driving forces for an upscaling of low-emission consumption of e-products. Four such initiatives are studied in collaboration with local partners and actors. Through these studies new knowledge will be developed on how local niches can contribute to learning, knowledge sharing and involvement and as such wider transformations in the regime for e-product consumption. Data from activities at the case sites is used to estimate climate and environmental impacts based on life-cycle assessment analyses. This is needed to create just assumptions and to quantify the impacts of changed consumer practices, which are to be used in later stages of the project. In close connection with the continuous studies of the niche cases, the transition arena method and the co-creation workshops will be applied to locate action and strategies to guide a transition to a zero-emission system for consumption of e-products. Based on these findings, backcasting scenario techniques are used to outline pathways toward a circular economic model for e-products, and relevant policies and action needed to reach desired outcomes are defined.
