How to calculate the recyclability of your products

How to Calculate Recyclability of Your Products

In today's world, product sustainability is a critical consideration for both businesses and consumers. DIN EN 45555 provides a comprehensive framework for assessing the recyclability of energy-related products (ErPs). This blog will look at the methods described in the standard, specifically addressing recyclability and its effective calculation.

Understanding recyclability

Recyclability refers to the ability of a product or its components to be transformed into new products, materials, or substances after reaching the end of its life (EoL). This process excludes energy recovery, where waste is used to generate energy. The main goal is to maximize the amount of reusable material and thus minimize waste and environmental impact.

Essential aspects of recyclability assessment

The DIN EN 45555 standard highlights several aspects of material efficiency that are relevant for recyclability:

1. Extending product life: Designing durable products reduces the frequency of disposal and the need for recycling.

2. Reuse of components: Identify parts that can be reused in other products without additional processing.

3. Recycling materials: Ensuring that the materials used in products can be effectively separated and recycled at the EoL stage.

Factors influencing recyclability

To evaluate the recyclability of a product, the following factors should be considered:

• Design features: The structure, material composition and assembly of the product have a significant impact on its recyclability. For example, products with easily separable parts are typically more recyclable.

• Removal of hazardous substances: Identification and removal of hazardous components or materials that could hinder the recycling process.

• Efficiency of recycling processes: The effectiveness of current recycling technologies in processing the materials used in the product.

Steps to calculate recyclability

The DIN EN 45555 standard provides a step-by-step method for calculating the recyclability of a product. Here's a simplified guide based on the standard:

Define the reference EoL treatment scenario: Outline the processes and steps required for the EoL treatment of the product. This includes detoxification, sorting, and recycling operations.

Identify and evaluate design characteristics: Create a checklist to evaluate the design of the product in terms of recyclability. Consider factors such as ease of disassembly and the compatibility of materials with recycling processes.

Determine recycling factors: Calculate the recycling factor for each part or material of the product. This factor ranges from 0 to 1 and indicates the percentage of material that can be successfully recycled.

Aggregate treatment efficiencies: Multiply the efficiencies of each treatment step to calculate the total recycling factor for the product. This involves evaluating the output of each treatment step in relation to its input.

 

For more detailed information, visit the DIN website.

How can ComplyMarket help you calculate the recyclability index of your products?

We have developed state-of-the-art technology that uses artificial intelligence to simulate complex mathematical equations and allow us to calculate the recyclability index in just a few minutes and in accordance with the requirements of EN 45555. Simply enter as much information as you can, and our tool will calculate the recycling value of your product.

Contact us now for a demo.