Project number: G1RT-CT-2002-05066

Project acronym: ECOLIFE II

Project full title: 

ECO-efficient LIFE cycle Technologies. From Products to Service Systems

Start: April 1, 2002

End: December 31, 2006

Duration: 57 Months

Partners: 28 

Project Co-ordinator: Austrian Society for Systems Engineering and Automation

Contractors: Motorola GmbH, Philips Consumer Electronics BV

ECOLIFE II focuses on the product-service lifecycle of electr(on)ic products, and involves key players in the electronics and automotive industries among the various stages of the product-service lifecycle – from component suppliers and product manufacturers, to service and logistic suppliers and the End-of-Life processors. The main activities of the Network focus on the environmental and economic aspects of product design, functional innovation and service-system innovation.

The ECOLIFE II consortium had 28 partners, of which 21 are companies and 7 research organisations. The partners come from 11 countries – 9 EU Member States, 1 applicant country and 1 associated country. They play leading roles in European branch organisations (e.g. ORGALIME, EICTA, EECA, ECTEL, CECED, and CAPIEL), national branch organisations (FEI, BITKOM, and FEEI), international standardisation bodies (ISO, ECMA, and DIN) as well as other networks (CARE Electronics, UNEP, WBCSD, and IRC).

The European Commission (through a series of Directives – WEEE, RoHS, EuP), Member States and industry in Europe are currently addressing a series of major environmental challenges to minimise waste and resource consumption, restrict the use of hazardous substances, and offer more and better products and services to users of electr(on)ic products. ECOLIFE II facilitates the co-ordination of EU and national RTD in this field. It engages in the exchange of information between researchers in the EU and beyond, provide easy access to state-of-the art RTD development, and reduce the duplication of studies.

The project has 4 main focus areas: Product Re-Design, Function Innovation, Service System Innovation and Information/Knowledge Management with its sub-tasks. Their goal is to decrease the environmental load of electr(on)ic products by better design and pave the way to the provision of sustainable service systems. Further challenging work will be done in the fields of information/knowledge management within the lifecycle, product environmental communication and socio-economic aspects. Finally the project provides a one stop shop for the State-of-the-Art including aspects of design, production, operation/use and re-use until the end of the operative life, at both technical and organisational levels.