Do the Main Developers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Comply with the Precepts of the Circular Economy Concepts? A Patent-Based Approach

The unceasing demand for electronic equipment has led to numerous problems, such as environmental damage and raw material shortages. The adoption of circular production chains and the precepts of the circular economy when designing electronic equipment could minimize these problems by fostering the reuse of resources without loss of quality or value. The scientific literature has many studies on the importance of circular production, but there are no data to demonstrate whether the scientific information produced on the circular economy and circular production is being taken up by industry. This study analyzes whether patent applications for inventions applicable to the production of electronic equipment meet the precepts of the circular economy. To this end, a study of patent documents was conducted. A total of 3638 documents were retrieved. Their analysis revealed that the technologies developed by the leading patent applicants and manufacturers are mainly from the first link in the production chain, materials, and components. The solutions proposed tend to be geared toward equipment efficiency and reduced energy consumption, which may indirectly increase the equipment’s useful life and save energy. Despite the existence of laws and research highlighting the importance of feeding used materials back into the production process, the developers of electronic equipment have not yet turned their attention to the recycling and retrieval of materials for their use as inputs for new components.