According to a consulting group legislation passed by the European Union regarding the collection and recycling of electronic scrap will likely result in equipment manufactures introducing design changes to their products. Following these changes, plastics producers will have to adapt to these changes.
In a report by Frost & Sullivan, the changes will result in a reduction in the variety of plastics used to make the equipment. By reducing the types of plastics manufacturers will find it easier to recycle the outdated equipment.
Further, as the types of plastics used decline, there also could be the creation of a standardization of the grades used as collection and recycling begin.
Plastics such as polypropylene could find greater application as companies can easily modify them to cover a wider property range, reducing the plastics.
Lucia Castro Diaz, research analyst with Frost & Sullivan notes, "The variable "recyclability" of different plastics will also become a determining factor when OEMs choose the plastics to be used in EEE products. Plastics that are easier to recycle will command better value, thus Monomaterial (unfilled) plastics or unblended and crystalline polymers will be favored."
On the other hand, plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that are not easily recyclable will progressively lose value. In addition, colored plastics that do not require paint or finish coatings will become more popular, since removal of coatings is time-consuming.
Since some essential plastics in EEE are difficult and/or expensive to recycle, it is imperative that plastics producers support the development of recycling technologies that simplify the process and make it financially viable. Some advances in this area are the development of automatic sorting, improvement of machinery used to process recycled plastics and extraction of halogenated flame-retardant.
With technological advancements and changing trends, the life span of products, particularly in the IT and telecommunications sectors, is on the decline. The growing consumerism in these sectors is fuelling growth in the EEE markets, and shorter product life spans favor plastics not only because of increased consumption, but also because their limited longevity becomes less important.
"There is a clear marketing opportunity for plastics producers that can align themselves with the requirements of the OEMs," says Diaz. "Plastic producers willing to make a marketing effort directed towards the EEE markets could gain customer loyalty and the benefits of a stable growing market."