Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) is the main focus of this course. These types of products require a battery or some form of power supply to function. Think, for instance, of the device you are currently using to take part in this course, but also of your kitchen appliances, electric tools or other electronic gadgets. Electrical equipment converts electricity in simple ways to some other form of energy – heat, motion, or light. This energy is then used to perform simple tasks, such as toasting bread, drilling a hole, or illuminating a room. Electronic equipment, by contrast, uses electric currents to store and manipulate information. For example, a calculator, digital display, or smartphone. Electronic devices are a more complex subset of electrical devices.

EEE can contain up to 60 elements from the periodic table, including hazardous (e.g. nickel) and scarce materials (e.g. rare earth metals).

The linear process of production, consumption and waste treatment of EEE has many negative environmental, economic and human health impacts, which are unfairly distributed across the globe.