Shredding for science: How smart TV design affects recyclability in practice

Understanding how product design shapes recycling outcomes is becoming increasingly important as the demand for recyclable electronics grows. This study investigates how design choices influence recyclability through an analysis of four commercially available smart TVs from major brands. We conducted manual disassembly and controlled shredding tests to explore how materials and connections behave under realistic recycling conditions.Our findings show that recyclability is mainly limited by plastics that are seldom recovered in practice, even when theoretically recyclable. Most connections broke down effectively during shredding, with limited material losses. Some design features, however, still hindered recovery, such as ductile materials that trap others. Based on these findings, we propose design guidelines and compare them with existing literature. Our work contributes to the growing body of research linking product design with current recycling processes and can inform design practice and future regulations that support a more circular electronics industry.