Official (Open)
Product End-of-
Life (EOL)
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Objective of Topic
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• To understand the various concerns when a product reaches its end-of-life
phase.
• To consider the challenges and opportunities facing a company when its
products reach their end-of-life phase.
Learning Outcome
• Learn how companies comply with regulatory requirements when disposing
of their products.
• Describe the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Process for both cradle-to-cradle
and cradle-to-grave approaches.
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When does a product become obsolete?
When the product is at the end of its lifecycle and has not seen any sales or
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
usage for a set period of time usually determined by the industry.
Once obsolete, the product is not sold, manufactured, improved, repaired,
maintained, or supported.
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E XA M
P L E
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Why do products reach the end of their lifecycle?
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• due to market demands where
customer wants the latest version of
the product
• technology innovation and
development driving changes in the
product
• the products simply mature over time
and are replaced by functionally richer
technology
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How does PLM deal with a product’s EOL phase?
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
Challenges
Opportunities 6
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Challenges
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Different challenges to a product’s End of Life according to…….
Business
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
When disposing of their obsolete product, the company must comply
with the local environmental laws and regulatory requirements
Manufacture
r Manufacturer needs to continue the development of new products
to address the market needs
Customer
Customers expect the new version of a product to have better
quality and functionality 8
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Example of Challenges due to mismanagement of a Product’s EOL
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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A Nation of Plastic
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Total solid waste generated in Singapore
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
2023 6.86 million tonnes
Overall recycling rate
for 2023 is 52%.
Source: http://www.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/waste-management/waste-statistics-and-overall-recycling
Recycling a single plastic bottle gives enough energy
to light a 60-watt bulb for up to 6 hours. 12
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Even “Green” solutions produce waste!
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Challenges are exacerbated by the Linear Economy
A "take, make, dispose" model of production.
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
Our economy is designed to extract raw
materials from nature, process them
into usable goods and then discard
them either into a landfill or incinerator.
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Challenges are exacerbated by the Linear Economy
This linear system is wasteful, and the losses result in negative environmental
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
impact.
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Opportunities
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Companies are presented with many opportunities when EOL processes
are in place.
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• Company can achieve high parts recycling and re-use rate with proper
disposal procedures in place
• Company can reduce the cost of raw materials through the reusing of
existing parts and recycled materials
• Minimise the release of toxic materials into environment and reduce the
probability of workers meeting harmful materials with proper disposal
practices
• Source of income through sales of recycled materials
• Explosive growth of mechatronic products allows for more recycling
opportunities 17
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A circular economy aims at eliminating waste and to
Circular Economy use resources continuously by
• keeping products, equipment and infrastructure in
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
use for long period of time,
• making waste materials and energy the input for
other processes.
To eliminate or
minimise the
last phase.
18
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin_Geissdoerfer2/publication/
343810965_Circular_business_models_A_review/links/5f628dd092851c07896d7dd3/Circular-
business-models-A-review.pdf, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?
curid=97396208
Official (Open)
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
The forest was bought by IKEA as part of a strategy to reduce more carbon than it
creates through its value chain. This strategy ensures the forest remains intact and
working to suck up CO2 from the atmosphere.
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Product Opportunities
• Sustainability
• Climate Change
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
“In the midst of chaos,
there is also opportunity” –
Sun Tzu
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Sustainability
Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural
resources, we also need social and economic resources.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are
a collection of 17 interlinked global goals set up
in 2015 by the United Nations General
Assembly (UN-GA).
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Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
uc ts
Prod
a ble
stain
f S u
on o
ti
h e crea
or t
e s f
uni ti
p ort
Op
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Examples of Sustainable Products from Singapore
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
https://www.insectta.com/
https://www.anrich3d.com/about
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https://www.crunchcutlery.com/
https://turtletree.com/
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Climate Change Opportunities
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Climate Change Opportunities
A new coastal and flood protection fund, with an initial injection of $5 billion, will
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
be set up to help protect Singapore against rising sea levels, Deputy Prime
Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Tuesday (Feb 18, 2020).
SINGAPORE - Around $100 billion or more may be needed over the long term to
protect Singapore against rising sea levels, one of the many threats posed by
climate change and one which the country is especially vulnerable to, said Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 18).
There are good engineering solutions to the problem, and these could include
reclaiming offshore islands and connecting them with barrages or building polders
to protect the coastline. But they come at a cost.
"How much will it cost, to protect ourselves against rising sea levels? My guess is
probably $100 billion over 100 years, quite possibly more.
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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
National Day Rally 2019
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Climate Change Opportunities
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Climate Change Opportunities
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Climate Change Opportunities
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Climate Change Opportunities
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Climate Change Opportunities
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Climate Change Opportunities
Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator - Singapore
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
The Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator - Singapore (REIDS) is a Singapore-based
R3D (Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment) platform dedicated to
designing, demonstrating and testing solutions for sustainable and affordable energy 31
access-for-all in Southeast Asia as well as the future of urban electricity distribution.
Official (Open)
Life Cycle Assessment
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a
methodology for assessing environmental
impacts associated with all the stages of the
life cycle of a product, process, or service.
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
is also known as
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• cradle-to-grave analysis
• cradle-to-cradle analysis
• …………..
LCA evaluates
• inputs e.g., minerals & energy
• outputs e.g., energy savings and
• potential environmental impacts e.g., emissions and solid waste
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Purpose of LCA
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
Increase output
Efficient use of yield
resources • Increased
• Raw materials Reduce waste production
• Minerals and liabilities • Energy savings
• Energy • …….
• ……
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Official (Open)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Process
Material extraction
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• Product downsizing
• Extensive recycling
Manufacturing Production
• Energy conservation
(Distribution)
• Raw materials conservation and
recycling
• Steps taken to prevent air, water
http://www.nist.gov/el/msid/
lifecycle/lifecycle.cfm, Public Domain
and underground water pollution 35
Official (Open)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Process
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
Transportation (Distribution)
• Simplified packaging to optimise
(Distribution)
packing of containers
• Efficient distribution
http://www.nist.gov/el/msid/
• Use of energy efficient and low
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lifecycle/lifecycle.cfm, Public Domain pollution delivery vehicles
Official (Open)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Process
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
Disposal/Recycling
• Products that are designed for easier
recycling
• Product with low amount of
environmentally harmful substances
(Distribution)
Utilization Reuse
• Products that consume less power and
supporting materials i.e., water, http://www.nist.gov/el/msid/
detergent and other materials lifecycle/lifecycle.cfm, Public Domain
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Official (Open)
Cradle to Grave Analysis
Cradle to grave analysis analyse how a product is made, used and then disposed
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
of. It starts with the raw materials and includes
• the transport of materials and products
• the energy used in production
• the resources used through the operational life of the product
It also calculates any energy used and emissions generated once it is disposed of.
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Cradle to grave analysis - significant potential for wasted resources and
harmful emissions.
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
Emissions – pollutants, greenhouse & other gases, heat
Extraction of
natural
resources
Product
was was
te te
Convert raw materials to Consumer
materials ready for
production
was
te
was Disposal
te
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landfill or incineration
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Cradle to Cradle Analysis
Cradle to cradle analysis assumes that a product or its components are not
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
disposed of but are used in other products and/or processes.
It factors in the options for reuse, recycling, recovery and remanufacturing.
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Definition of the 4Rs of Waste Management
Reuse – using a product without change or remodeling, whether for the original
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
or a different application.
Recycle – extracting raw materials from a product and reprocessing them, to be
used as raw materials for the same product, or other product, or as a source of
energy.
Recovery – capturing or extracting elements of a product or process, for
example, chemicals from computer parts or heat from a production process.
Remanufacture – rebuilding an end-of-life product to its original or better
specifications and performances.
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Cradle to Cradle Analysis
A circular approach with multiple points to implement sustainable
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
options. This results in fewer resources being used and fewer emissions
being generated compared to a cradle to grave analysis.
NTU, NEA launch S$40m waste-to-energy research facility
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo-pdOjE2ik 42
http://sustainabilityskills.net.au/what-is-sustainability/sustainability-
practice/design-and-technology/product-life-cycle/
Official (Open)
Cradle to Cradle Analysis
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple
_Environmental_Progress_Report_2022.pdf 43
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Regulatory
requirements
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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Regulatory requirements aim at protecting customers and environment.
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
The EU’s End of Life Vehicle directive aimed at getting
manufacturers to dispose of vehicles in an environmentally
sensitive way.
The EU’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) directive aimed at managing waste electrical and
electronic equipment.
European Union’s (EU) Restriction of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) directive aim to address use of lead,
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mercury, cadmium, and other heavy metals.
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Regulatory requirements are needed for products end-of-life
management due to:
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• population growth,
• lack of disposal sites, and
• scarce natural resources.
Semakau Island Landfill. Expected
to run out of space by 2035
The product needs to be managed at disposal time to prevent contaminations of
drinking water sources due to seeping of poisonous components and toxic waste
from the product. 46
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Why are companies taking regulatory requirements seriously?
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• Consumers are more aware of environmental protection practices through
environmentally safe disposal and recycling of their products
• Insurance companies or environmental agencies may require
documentation of a company’s lifecycle approach
• Companies responding to customer demands for environmentally safe
products with labels
• Being environmentally correct is a valuable marketing asset
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Case Study: The EU’s End of Life Vehicle Directive
The main challenges facing the automotive industry include:
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
• End-of-life Vehicle (ELV) regulations
• Restriction of hazardous materials regulations
• Requirements for greater fuel efficiency Requirements
• Emission reductions • Light weight
• Improved safety • Recyclability
• Aesthetic design
• Cost competitiveness
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Case Study: The EU’s End of Life Vehicle Directive
The two requirements tend to drive materials selection and design
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
in different directions.
Light weight Recyclability
Greater use of Favour
• polymers and polymer composites • metallic materials (steel and
aluminum)
• multi-material components
• adhesive bonding • fewer multi-material components
• larger single components that are
mechanically joined, easy to
disassemble
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Case Study: The EU’s End of Life Vehicle Directive
Use of new materials i.e., natural composites (plant fibres) such as hemp and flax
replacing glass and carbon.
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
www.naturalfibersforautomotive.com
These materials with degradable polymer matrices provide low weight together
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with recyclability via composting.
-- END --
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SUMMARY
Product Lifecycle Management – End-of-Life
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