Étude exploratoire de la phase d’usage des produits électroniques en vue de minimiser les impacts environnementaux : le cas du téléviseur

Given its high environmental impact, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has become a major problem for developed countries. The growing consumption of electronic products, whose useful lifespan has decreased over the years, has led to an increasing production of WEEE. In response, the European Union has adopted in 2003 the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This environmental policy tool holds legally responsible manufacturers for the implementation and financing of the e-waste stewardship program. While the ERP focuses mainly on the environmentally sound disposal of waste from electric and electronic equipment, this instrument does not prevent or even reduce the growing amounts of e-waste discarded by households. This situation is particularly worrying, since the environmental benefits achieved with the implementation of the ERP are no longer efficient considering the continuous increase of electronic goods’ consumption in the world. In light of this issue, the present thesis examines the practices of users during the consumption phase of electronic appliances (also referred to as the use phase). This stage of the products’ lifecycle includes purchase, use, repair and disposal of a good. To conduct this research, a qualitative approach by means of a case study was used. The selected case is the television, which illustrates many issues related to the use phase of electronic devices, such as frequent launch of new models in the market, low purchase price compared to the cost of repair and the influence of trends on the consumer’s choices. These factors may cause the premature replacement of electronic products and, therefore, lead to their premature end-of-life, which materialize into different types of obsolescence. In the context of this case study, around thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with users and repairers of electronic equipment in order to document the different sub-stages of the television’s use phase. Based on collected data, the main objective of this thesis is to provide recommendations to political authorities, which could enable the minimisation of environmental impacts related to the use phase of electronic appliances. The results highlight, via the role and singular status occupied by the television, the user’s behaviour which helps increase the environmental footprint of the use phase. The multiple purchases of electronic and non-electronic goods following the television’s acquisition, its many features that are similar to those of the computers or tablets, and the premature disposal of functional but technologically obsolete devices, are among the main findings of the study. In respect of these observations, this study proposes environmental policy instruments, like an environmental labelling of the electronic products’ lifespan, which aim at supporting a more informed consumer choice. Other orientations, such as the opportunity to adopt a horizontal policy, which is a legal framework that would no longer focus on the individual product, but rather on all appliances with similar functions, are exposed. In addition, this research explores some levers that could minimize the phenomenon of premature end-of-life of electronic devices, including the exportation of obsolete and functional goods from developed to developing countries to enable their reuse and the trend of Do-It-Yourself for their repair.

Keyphrases: obsolescence, use phase, environmental impacts, premature end-of-life, obsolescence, electronic products, television, users, repairers, political authorities, environmental policy tools