Considering sustainability in Power Electronics (PE) is a relatively recent topic of interest. However, the existing regulatory and normative frameworks supposed to guide designers and industries in this direction have not been combined in an exhaustive way. This article aims to bridge the gap by conducting a literature review of the regulative and normative constraints for sustainability in PE. This study primarily addresses the framework at the European level, with a focus on French regulations and standards. In this study, a total of 63 relevant documents are collected and analyzed. A framework representing the overview of existing legislation and facultative guidelines for PE ecodesign is established. A collaborative online tool is developed to enable access to the inventory by PE stakeholders. The analysis of the framework outlines the limitations and challenges needing to be addressed, including the absence of constraints on environmental performance, the inadequacy of material efficiency standards for PE products, and the unclear methodology for ecodesign implementation. This work, undertaken at the European level with a detailed examination of the French context, is intended to serve as an inspiring analysis for other countries and for PE designers who are considering the regulatory framework of a European representative country.

Power Electronics Converters (PEC) play a crucial role in the operation of many modern electrical systems and devices. Despite their widespread use, the lack of an efficient and cost-effective disassembly process can limit their repairability, refurbishability, remanufacturability and, ultimately, recyclability, thus hindering the circularity of products. In order to improve their circularity, it is important to assess their ease of disassembly. Therefore, this paper investigates the applicability of the “ease of Disassembly Metric” (eDiM), which is referenced in the material efficiency standards, Benelux repairability assessment method, and Repair Scoring System (RSS), to analyze the ease of disassembly of energy-related products. After identifying the limitations of the eDiM method, we refined and adapted it to make it more suitable for Printed Circuit Board (PCB)-based PEC, and thus propose a PCB-based disassemblability assessment method allowing the implementation of quantifiable requirements supporting their circularity. This standardized approach, at the PCB level, can improve the circularity of such products by facilitating design enhancements. With this approach, policymakers and designers can contribute more effectively to the transition to a circular economy in PCB electronics, particularly in the field of power electronics.

Traditional efforts of the last decades to optimize energy efficiency during the use phase of power electronic (PE) appear insufficient for achieving environmental sustainability. These single‐criterion optimization approaches often lead to unintended negative environmental impacts, such as air, water, and soil pollutions, or additional raw material flow extraction to develop new technologies. Design options easing repair, reuse, and recycling of PE products are usually reduced with higher power density technology choices. Life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a framework for evaluating these impacts, but the conventional LCA is primarily for post‐design evaluation, and is resource‐ and time‐intensive. To make LCA a proactive design method that allows teams to monitor environmental consequences from the beginning of design planning, this study developed a parametric life cycle assessment (PLCA) meta‐model specifically for PE, integrated into an innovative ecodesign process. The PLCA meta‐model identifies key parameters influencing environmental impacts across the product life cycle and establishes mathematical relationships between these control parameters and environmental impact indicators. The case study results shows that the integration of this new PLCA model in the beginning of the design process has supported PE designers to develop, evaluate, and optimize ecodesign PE product circular life cycle scenarios.