Project "E6" - Ecosystems for an extended service life of used electrical and electronic appliances

The E6 project (Ecosystems for Extended Lifetime of End-of-Use Electrical and Electronic Equipment), which is co-financed by the European innovation funding program North West Europe, aims to create structures in which disused electrical appliances can be repaired and reused. In addition to promoting repair cafés, the E6 project aims to establish value chains in such a way that electrical appliances can be used for longer in future or passed on via second-hand stores. For a sustainable circular economy!

To this end, the project is working with 19 international partners to set up so-called repair ecosystems for used electrical appliances at 6 pilot locations. One of these is currently being set up in Aachen, with the city of Aachen and the Aachener Stadtbetrieb (Aachen municipal company) being primarily responsible for implementing the project.

E-waste as a challenge

Electronic waste (also known as e-waste) includes all electronic devices - from washing machines to cell phones - that are no longer functional or are disposed of for other reasons. Large quantities of such waste increase the environmental impact on local authorities in many ways. On the one hand, the recycling effort and the quantities of waste that can no longer be recycled increase, as electrical appliances often consist of a variety of materials and components that are difficult to separate from one another. On the other hand, there are great incentives for consumers to constantly buy new appliances, which also requires more resources and energy. At the same time, however, the materials required for this, such as rare earths, are becoming increasingly scarce worldwide.

The project approach

Disposed electrical or electronic devices contain valuable resources that cannot be easily recovered. However, many of these devices can in principle be recycled, repaired and reused. The aim of E6 is to systematically exploit this factor in order to improve the carbon footprint of local authorities and make e-appliances more affordable. After all, the increasing volume of e-waste is not just a problem in the Aachen city region. As part of the E6 project, more than 20 European project partners in six municipalities are working across borders to establish municipal repair ecosystems. These are intended to offer citizens the opportunity to easily hand in old electrical appliances so that they can be repaired and then put back on the market.

The E6 consortium brings together experts from various fields, including technology, public services, the environment and politics, to develop innovative strategies and solutions that extend the lifespan of electrical appliances and reduce waste. Only through interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing is a circular economy possible. With the engagement of various stakeholders in each participating region and the support of EU funding, the project promises innovative approaches to the life cycle management of appliances and paves the way for a greener and more sustainable future.

Avoiding electronic waste: Aachen's circular economy concept

As part of the Circular Cities Declaration and the Climate City Agreement (see also: Integrated climate protection concept of the city of Aachen), the city of Aachen has committed to opening up paths towards a local and climate-neutral circular economy. E6 - a project of the city's Department of Economy, Science, Digital City and Europe and Aachen's municipal utility company - will make an important contribution to this, as 826 tons of electronic waste were generated in Aachen in 2021 alone. As a pilot project location, the city of Aachen will also work together with the project partners to support other municipalities in the transformation to a circular economy. In this way, we are making a contribution to climate protection and fulfilling our responsibility for the environment in a profitable way. This will only succeed in close cooperation with the citizens of the city.