Feature

A waste OF TIME?

SPECIAL GREEN THINKING

The unabated use of technology to run our daily lives has led to the global scourge of e-waste. This major environmental issue WHAT A WASTE requires solutions, and fast – by Michelle Sturman Last year, three-quarters of global e-waste was composed of small, large and temperature

What weighs 53.6 million metric tons exchange equipment, with the latter increasing (Mt) and possesses a raw material the most in total weight generated since 2014. value of around $57 billion per Screens and monitors have registered a slight year? The answer is Waste decrease (-1%), but this is attributed to the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) – replacement of heavy CRT monitors with lighter more commonly known as e-waste – and it is the flat panel displays. fastest growing waste stream worldwide. In terms of the regional distribution of all this

According to The Global E-waste Monitor waste, Asia produced the highest quantity in 2020: Quantities, Flows and the Circular 2019 at 24.9 million Mt, followed by the Americas Economy Potential, a mere 17.4% of the 53.6 (13.1 million Mt), Europe (12 million Mt), Oceania million Mt of e-waste generated in 2019 was (2.9 million Mt) and Africa (0.7 million Mt). officially documented as properly collected and However, in terms of collection and recycling recycled. Additionally, the total weight (excluding rates, Europe came out top in 2019 with 42.5%, photovoltaic panels) of worldwide electrical and with second-placed Asia considerably lower at electronic equipment (EEE) increases by 2.5 11.7%. The Americas and Oceania were not far million Mt on an annual basis. By 2030, the global behind (9.4% and 8.8% respectively), while Africa generation of WEEE is projected to grow to 74.7 suffered the lowest rate at 0.9%. million Mt – almost double that of 2014. As of today, only 78 countries have adopted an

There are three primary drivers of e-waste. The e-waste policy, legislation or regulation while the first is consumption of EEE. This is likely to rise this recycling infrastructure differs greatly between year because of COVID-19 and the purchasing of high, middle and low-income nations. items like laptops, tablets and desktop computers Broadly speaking, the richer a country, the due to work-from-home guidelines and the better developed its waste recycling set-up. increase in online education. Despite this, it is estimated that around 8% of

The second is the shorter lifecycle of EEE, e-waste is still thrown into standard waste bins – especially for items such as smartphones. The typically small equipment and small IT electronics third is the scarcity of repair options available – where it is subsequently landfilled or incinerated. for electronic and electrical items – it is often Often, discarded items that can be reused are less expensive and more straightforward for shipped to low or middle-income countries and an consumers to replace rather than fix equipment. alarming amount of electronic scrap continues to This has led to the hoarding of EEE within home be exported illegally or stolen. and office environments. The proliferation of smart devices linked to IoT TIPS FOR RESELLERS is increasingly exacerbating the problem as EEE E-waste is a significant global problem, so every action taken to help moves into sectors such as furniture, clothing, reduce it counts. With so many obsolete or broken electronic goods sitting transport, health, security and energy. in offices and homes, resellers can become an indispensable partner for

At the moment, there are six categories of the responsible reuse, repair or recycling of these unwanted items. e-waste: temperature exchange equipment, They can link up with charities that can repair goods, partner with screens and monitors, lamps, large reputable recycling firms, investigate manufacturer and wholesaler equipment, small equipment, and small IT and take-back programmes and become a local collector, and check telecommunication equipment. municipality guidelines to see how to dispose and recycle e-waste.

A TOXIC ENVIRONMENT

In countries with a minimal or absent waste recycling framework, WEEE is invariably left to the informal sector to deal with. In this scenario, e-waste is frequently dealt with in a dangerous and toxic environment, with severe health consequences for the workers concerned and nearby human and wildlife populations.

Most EEE contains hazardous substances like mercury, brominated flame retardants, chlorofluorocarbons or hydrochlorofluorocarbons. Not only do they have an impact on human health and the wider environment, but the incorrect administration of this type of waste contributes to global warming.

According to the Monitor, non-recycled EEE means it cannot substitute primary raw materials and help to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are created from their extraction and refinement.

E-waste also contains several precious metals such as gold, silver, copper and platinum, critical raw materials including cobalt, palladium, indium and germanium, along with non-critical metals like aluminium and iron. Estimates suggest that at the current documented collection and recycling rate, an additional four Mt of raw materials could have been made available for recycling.

COMPLETING THE LOOP

There are many challenges surrounding e-waste, but solutions are being sought. The Circular Economy Action Plan, for example, forms one of the key blocks within the EU Green Deal (see page 50 for more details), which adjusts the linear WEEE Directive of ‘take, make, use, dispose’ to one based on ‘reduce, reuse, return and recycle’.

The plan aims to tackle the entire life cycle of products by promoting circular economy processes and sustainable consumption, and ensuring the resources used are preserved within the economic system for as long as possible.

It also widens the EU Ecodesign Directive to include aspects such as the ‘right to repair’. This TCO Development, the organisation behind the environmental certification TCO Certified, has extended its online Product Finder to include measurable sustainability performance data for certified electronic items.

The new functions in Product Finder enable purchasers to access detailed information on TCO Certified IT products, such as the percentage of post-consumer recycled plastic content, weight, energy consumption and battery cycles.

It is also possible to calculate an item’s CO2 emissions and energy costs in the use phase. Product Finder users can then export the data to use in its measurement, reporting and communication efforts.

“Proof and measurement are key to driving sustainability. Placing trust in unverified product claims can put purchasing organisations at risk of greenwash. In addition to the verification in TCO Certified, the new Product Finder features offer measurable data to purchasers wishing to talk about the sustainability impact of the IT products they use,” says TCO Development Global Director of Purchaser Engagement Clare Hobby. Visit: https://tcocertified.com/product-finder for more information.

currently focuses on EEE household appliances like washing machines and televisions, but is expected to be expanded into other categories like small consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptops.

Going further, a sustainable products initiative will revise the Ecodesign Directive with other legislative measures. These are designed

A mere 17.4% of the 53.6 million Mt of e-waste generated in 2019 was officially documented as properly collected and recycled

to make goods more ecological, durable and energy-efficient, as well as address the presence of harmful chemicals. It should be noted that Europe is not unique in proposing such measures. As of last year, 20 US states had signed up to legislate the Right to Repair bill.

While it is abundantly clear that much needs to be done to halt the massive amount of WEEE being incinerated, dumped in landfill, or exported to countries with minimal infrastructure or environmental controls, moves are underway to address these issues. The bottom line is that embracing a circular economy for EEE provides environmental, financial as well as brand benefits

and will reduce the amount of e-waste we create.