As part of a broader EPA initiative to investigate market-based strategies to eliminate and reduce waste, GreenBlue partnered with the EPA Office of Solid Waste (OSW) to develop cradle-to-cradle principles for the design of electronic products, and conduct an idea competition to test these principles.

The project created a set of design resources for use by electronic product designers, to engage their creativity to develop computer products that can be safely metabolized within biological and technical nutrient metabolisms according to the principles of Cradle to Cradle Design.

Electronics is one of the fastest growing sectors of the consumer products market, and exhibits tremendous product turnover as customers replace quickly outdated technologies. This has made electronics one of industry's fastest growing solid waste streams, and has dramatically increased the importance of end-of-life management.

Since only some of the disposed equipment is reused or recycled into new products, potentially valuable materials can be lost and create unintended environmental and social consequences. Additionally, some research indicates that current electronic products may pose human and environmental health dangers during materials processing, assembly and disposal.

The eDesign Idea Competition was an effort to reduce the use of hazardous materials, find viable alternatives, and recover and recycle materials following product use.

Analysis of the composition of current electronic products suggests that there are significant opportunities to apply cradle-to-cradle principles in the industry, through the design of products, production processes, distribution logistics, and delivery systems. Realizing an integrated system of product design, manufacturing and recycling will require creativity and collaboration among a range of stakeholders with divergent interests, including suppliers, manufacturers, dismantlers, government agencies, academia and non-governmental organizations along the entire international supply chain.

Cradle to Cradle Design offers a platform for shared leadership across these groups, maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the transition to sustainable electronics production, distribution, use and reuse. Through the idea competition, new relationships can be established among stakeholders, new competitive advantages can be developed, and new environmental models can be developed.

An industry-oriented idea competition can act as a highly leveraged catalyst for innovation, encouraging creative rethinking of existing products and services toward more sustainable flows of services and materials. Individual and team entrants will be asked to submit ideas for transforming the design of electronic products, and the design of the system for recovering and recycling materials following product use.

In order to realistically limit competition scope, desktop and laptop computers and displays have been selected as the focus of this initial idea competition. Future competitions may focus on other areas of the electronics industry.

GreenBlue anticipates the following outcomes for the project:

	•	Education: Electronics designers internalize cradle-to-cradle principles, recognizing their value, utility, and promise.
	•	Innovation: Creative ideas and partnerships emerge among designers, industry representatives, peer review panelists, judging panel members and other stakeholders.
	•	Transition: Electronic product design and recovery systems shift toward a new vision, promoting cradle-to-cradle characteristics and goals in the move from present reality to future possibility.
	•	Collaboration: Stakeholders forge active partnership through feedback on cradle-to-cradle principles, gathering background information, sponsoring the idea competition, and submitting entries.
	•	Leadership: Companies, organizations and designers promote the business opportunities and address the practical challenges of pursuing cradle-to-cradle solutions.