An integrated architecture for implementing extended producer responsibility in the context of Industry 4.0

Abstract

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a regulatory measure to enforce the life cycle management of electrical and electronic equipment, however, the implementation of EPR programmes is not as effective as expected. In the face of the fourth industrial revolution that commonly labelled as ‘Industry 4.0,’ this paper proposes an integrated architecture to achieve effective and efficient EPR from the manufacturer perspective, and attention is specifically paid on promoting information sharing. On the basis of the selected case study, a smart refrigerator plant of Haier, the architecture integrates information systems and facilitates life cycle management. Particularly, eco-design and end-of-life disposal, the two lasting problems in the current practises of implementing EPR, can be enforced based on product modularisation and high level of information availability that provided by the architecture. The outcomes of this study provide a valuable reference for other sectors that involve EPR or product life cycle management.

Keywords:

• Industry 4.0
• extended producer responsibility
• information sharing
• integration
• life cycle management
• smart factory
• sustainability

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Peipei Zhang, Meiyuan Yue from Haier Group for providing historical operational data and related descriptions on the operation of the refrigerator plant in Shenyang, China.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work is financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 71671180), National Science and Technology Major Project (no. 2016ZX05040-001), Green Manufacturing System Integration Project 2016 of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People Republic of China, and Ningbo Natural Science Foundation (no. 2017A610136).