DeepSummary
This episode features an interview with Jessica Luth Richter, a postdoctoral researcher at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics. Jessica discusses her research on extending product lifetimes and enabling the repair of electronics through policies like extended producer responsibility (EPR) and eco-design regulations. She explains the concept of 'right to repair' and its potential impact on circular economy practices.
The conversation highlights the complexities involved in promoting circular economy strategies, such as the potential conflicts between recycling targets and reuse opportunities under EPR policies. Jessica also touches upon the role of critical raw materials in electronics and the challenges of recovering them through recycling processes.
Additionally, Jessica shares insights from her experience in developing massive open online courses (MOOCs) on circular economy topics and how these courses serve as platforms for research outreach and education. The discussion concludes with Jessica's perspectives on the limitations of the circular economy concept and the need to consider consumption patterns and the overall scale of the economy.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies are primarily focused on waste management and recycling, which can sometimes conflict with promoting reuse and longer product lifetimes.
- Recovering critical raw materials from recycling processes is a significant challenge, and policies may need to address both supply and demand aspects of recycled materials.
- Decisions about product lifetimes and replacements depend on various context factors, such as the efficiency of the replacement product and the energy mix used in the product's use phase.
- The concept of 'right to repair' aims to enable consumers and third parties to repair products, potentially extending their lifetimes and reducing waste.
- Massive open online courses (MOOCs) can serve as platforms for research outreach and education on circular economy topics, in addition to traditional education.
- The circular economy concept has limitations and needs to be complemented by considerations of consumption patterns, the overall scale of the economy, and the speed of material loops.
- Policies like eco-design regulations may be better suited than EPR policies for promoting longer product lifetimes, and these policies should be harmonized to avoid conflicts.
- There is a need for more specific targets and requirements in policies to recover and use recycled materials, particularly for critical raw materials.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “But it is still a struggle, and particularly for the critical raw materials to actually get those back from recycling processes, that we're still a long way towards a full circle here.“ by Jessica Luth Richter
- “So I mentioned about this, let's say competition between reuse and recycling. So here you have a bit of a conflict if you have targets only on recycling, and that raises kind of the value of some potentially reusable waste streams, that you have an incentive towards recycling with those targets.“ by Jessica Luth Richter
- “And I think for extended producer responsibility, because it is really geared towards waste, it has limited, let's say some limited opportunities for promoting longer lifetimes, because really what you're trying to promote is not making those products waste.“ by Jessica Luth Richter
- “Circular is the right shape, but it's not the only solution.“ by Jessica Luth Richter
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Episode Information
Getting In the Loop: Circular Economy | Sustainability | Closing the Loop
Katherine Whalen
5/16/22
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Resources and links discussed in this episode are available at gettinginthelooppodcast.com.
ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE
We’re joined by Jessika Luth Richter, a postdoctoral researcher at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics. In today’s episode, we cover a lot of ground - we’re talking all things electronics and policy. You’ll hear about the idea of ‘Right to Repair’ that is gaining traction in the US and EU, find out how policies like extended producer responsibility (EPR) relate to circular economy, and more!
Related episodes:
How Policy Can Help Create a More Circular Economy with Leonidas Milios
ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST
Jessika researches policies and initiatives enabling a circular economy, including extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies, ecodesign policies, green procurement, circular business practices and circular city initiatives. She has experience with qualitative research methods, multi-criteria policy evaluation methods, and quantitative life cycle methods (I.e. LCA, LCC, MFA). She also has experience evaluating environmental economic instruments such as emission trading schemes and green stimulus packages. She is currently researching how different values can be retained in closing loops for electronics products through EPR policies and how policies can support upscaling repair of these products. Jessika is also involved in teaching, including designing and running massive open online courses.