Evaluation of Indicators Supporting the Sustainable Design of Electronic Systems

Engineers are confronted with difficulties when it comes to the inclusion of sustainability aspects into the design process of electronic devices. Due to the specific nature and complexity of material composition, process flows and data availability there is a need for electronics-specific methodologies for environmental assessment. These need to allow for easy adaptation in all stages of the design process thus leading to a rapid identification of critical hotspots in system design. To fulfil this demand, indicators available for product-level assessment are evaluated with regard to environmental impact category coverage, practicability and significance for selected application fields of electronics. Case studies on sensor nodes and lighting products are used to show the application of indicator sets in industrial settings. As an outcome, indicator sets are identified that support the designer in keeping track of the overall sustainability of electronic products.