Project Details
Lead partner organisation: London South Bank University
Total budget ERDF: € 1.9 million
Total budget: € 3.2 million
Start of the project: 2018
End of the project: 2021
Partners of the project: London South BankUniversity, Wuppertal Institut für Klima Umwelt Energie, Green IT Amsterdam,TEAM2, WeLOOP, Terra Nova Development.
LSBU-lead project, the Circular Economy for the Data CentreIndustry, aims to made data centre equipment more sustainable
CEDaCI will build a Circular Economy for theData Centre Industry to increase reclamation and reuse of Critical RawMaterials in the sector, extend product life through equipment reuse and remanufacture, reduce use of virgin materials, waste and environmental impact arising from the growth in redundant equipment and develop a secure and economically viable CRM supply chain for the sector. At present only 10% of CRM from the sector is recycled and recovered but this will increase to 19% and 24%5 and 10 years after the project ends; reuse of equipment will also increase to65% and 75% respectively and at end-of-life overall product ‘waste’ will be reduced to 35% and 25%. The CEDaCI project will build a Circular Economy for the Data Centre Industry to increase reclamation and reuse of Critical Raw Materials in the sector, extend product life through equipment reuse and remanufacture, reduce use of virgin materials, waste and environmental impact arising from the growth in redundant equipment and develop a secure and economically viable CRM supply chain for the sector.At present only 10% of CRM from the sector are recycled and recovered but this will increase to 19% and 24% 5 and 10 years after the project ends; reuse of equipment will also increase to 65% and 75% respectively and at end-of-life overall product ‘waste’ will be reduced to 35% and 25%.
Methodology and output:
This will be achieved through a whole-life approach to the problem: the project will bring together stakeholders from across the sector (designers, manufacturers, operators, refurbishers, recyclers) in a knowledge-sharing network; they will engage in a Co-CreationPlatform and 3 integrated Pilots for 3 life cycle stages (design, life extension and end-of-life).
Project output includes: 2 products/processes/technologies developed & tested in real-life conditions; EcoDesign/Design for CEGuidelines (to accelerate manufacture of CE-fit products); a Decision-MakingTool (DMT) for all DC sub-sectors to optimise CE business models; and improved refurbishment, recycling and reclamation strategies for WEEE and CRM. These will feed into bespoke technical assistance (DMT training sessions) for 50 DCI businesses; advice and guidelines for policy-influencers and makers; and a physical and virtual demonstrator that explains the CE context, processes and benefits. A Long Term Strategy (LTS) with a 10-year maintenance plan will ensure the project impact and long term legacy.