Understanding the Barriers to Reuse: A Qualitative Study of Reuse Potential in the Norwegian EE Industry
Master thesis
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3032603Utgivelsesdato
2022Metadata
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- Studentoppgaver (TN-ISØP) [1411]
Sammendrag
The rapid growth in consumption and use of electronics has resulted in E-waste becoming one of themost accelerated global waste streams. Despite high rates of electrical and electronic (EE) recycling,Norway is one of the countries with the highest generation of E-waste per capita. Inspired by circulareconomy principles and previous research on the E-waste stream, this thesis explores the potential forreuse in solving the waste problem in the Norwegian EE industry. As reuse of EE products remains lowin Norway, this thesis examines the current state of the industry and identifies barriers to reuseadoption. This is supported by insights from four semi-structured expert interviews and secondarydata. The findings suggest that the most prevalent barriers are the linear design of products, economicunsustainability, consumer scepticism, lack of clear regulations and product value loss due toirresponsible treatment. Recommendations are presented as guidance on how to overcome thesebarriers and accelerate the reuse rate in Norway. This has important implications for policymakers andindustry stakeholders that wish to transform their industry and business models. The barriers applyacross stakeholder groups and require an industry-wide understanding of how to establish effectivecollaboration and ultimately increase the reuse of EE products.