Repair index of energy-related products: Application to capsule coffee machines

Abstract

In recent years, the European regulatory framework related to sustainable products has evolved to promote the circular economy, with a special emphasis on repair strategies to reduce raw material consumption and e-waste generation. In this context, the present study aims to assess the repairability level of small electrical and electronic appliances, specifically focusing on capsule coffee machines, taking the EN 45554 standard (General methods for the assessment of the ability to repair, reuse, and upgrade energy-related products) as a reference. To achieve this objective, an interpretation of the standard is made with the aim of developing a repair matrix to facilitate the calculation of the repair index. The repair matrix is customised to the case study of capsule coffee machines. Following its application with four existing capsule coffee machines and having obtained their corresponding repair indexes, design requirements to improve the repairability of this product category are identified and applied in the design of a new capsule coffee machine with a higher (better) repair index. After this process, various improvement options for the repair matrix that enhance the accuracy of the EN 45554 requirements are discussed and applied, and finally compared with the Repairability assessment methodology (AsMeR).