In June 2025, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) published its vision for circularity in the UK by 2040. For the electrical industry, adopting a more circular approach to manufacturing makes perfect sense, and offers a range of opportunities, says Fernando Nuño, advisory board member for electrical manufacturing trade show, CWIEME Berlin.
The linear “take, make, dispose” economic model is no longer compatible with humanity’s sustainable development goals. As economies develop and populations grow, reducing reliance on finite resources becomes increasingly important. Employing more regenerative practices, like reuse and recycling, offers a solution, but is the industry ready?
The European Committee for Standardisation and European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CEN-CENELEC) produced standards for the circular economy in energy-related products. The series EN 4555X encompasses durability, the ability to remanufacture, repair and reuse components or the entire product, and upgrade. It also considers recyclability, recoverability, the use of recycled materials and only deploying critical raw materials where they are really needed.
Three top level European Commission aims went into developing the standards: extending product lifetime; the ability to re-use components or recycle materials from products at end-of-life; and the use of re-used components and/or recycled materials in products.
Producing materials from recycled sources generally results in a much lower environmental footprint than extracting and processing raw materials, so environmental benefits are often cited as the reason to implement circularity in the electric manufacturing sector. But there are far-reaching economic benefits, too.
For example, a local circular economy can create jobs through repair, reuse and recycling services, contributing to a country's economic growth, according to Draghi and von der Leyen.
In the UK, nearly 90,000 new jobs were created in the circular economy sector in five years up to 2019, bringing total employment in this area to over half a million, which could almost double by 2035.
Around the world, metals are traded commodities and imports are not always guaranteed. Decreasing reliance on foreign materials could be seen as a geo-political tool, reducing exposure to the risks of international trade, such as unexpected tariffs.
One might think that manufacturing longer-lasting products would decrease waste. However, for products like electrical transformers or motors, where energy efficiency is constantly being improved, it might be more sustainable to recall products sooner and replace them with more efficient units. In that case, designing for circularity rather than longevity is favourable.
Many companies are already embracing recycling and circular practices. For example, a partnership between ABB and Stena Recycling is ensuring that end-of-life machines are efficiently recycled, with metals reused in new European products. ABB claims its large motors and generators are 98 per cent recyclable, with the remaining two per cent of materials suitable for incineration with heat recovery.
By focussing on the end-of-life management of these machines, companies can reduce environmental impact and ensure equipment is regularly upgraded. ABB also works with Stena Recycling on its transformers, and says it plans to have over 80 per cent of all its products and solutions based on a circular approach by 2030.
Multiple recycling sites and secondary smelters exist in Europe and around the world. For instance, Germany features specialised recycling centres like Elektro-Recycling Nord in Hamburg for appliances and electronic waste, and Cablo in Berlin and the Ruhr area, which focusses on separating metal and plastic, especially from cables.
However, collection issues, complex material separation, and fragmented global recycling streams can make recycling a challenge. Motors, for instance, are dealt with in varying ways. Small motors in appliances are often exported or end up in landfills, with only large and medium motors being recycled.
Material separation complicates recycling, such when handling composites like the cast resin in dry transformers. Global markets and inconsistent EU e-waste classifications further hinder effective regulation.
Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) can improve collection efforts. Manufacturers establish these bodies to fulfil the collection, recycling and waste disposal of their products. Shifting the burden of waste management away from governments and consumers, this can increase material recovery rates.
In addition, producers and manufacturers can develop more guidance on best practices for product disposal or dismantling. Furthermore, manufacturers could develop value-retention business models to recover and recycle their customers’ end-of-life products.
Meanwhile, recycling companies could collaborate with design engineers to develop end-of-life-friendly designs that facilitate waste management. The metals industry, too, could make sure that design engineers have a better knowledge of metallurgy, helping them develop designs in which metals are combined with materials that are easy to separate in the smelting and refining process.
Fernando Nuño is an energy engineer and CWIEME Berlin advisory board member. He has gained international experience across France, Spain and Belgium, working in both the private and public sectors. His current focus lies in energy, climate and raw materials advocacy as well as leading technology-driven projects related to electrical technologies.
