The E-Waste Database

🌱 How much e-waste is produced each year? Global e-waste production is sometimes referred to as “a tidal wave of pollution”. All in all, 62 million tonnes of e-waste are produced each year. This is “enough to fill 1.5 million transport trucks” and makes e-waste “one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams”. 🌱 What damage is caused by poor e-waste management? The poor management of e-waste causes “US$78 billion in externalised costs to human health and the environment each year”. Under a quarter of e-waste is recycled properly globally. Improper e-waste management leaves “mountains of electronics to rot away in unregulated dumpsites, where they can leach chemicals into the soil and water”. This can put both food security and the environment at risk. Refrigerants leaking from e-waste can also contribute to climate change when they are released into the atmosphere. Moreover, leached toxic chemicals – such as lead and mercury – can cause developmental delays and stillbirths. 🌱 Why are middle- and low-income countries impacted disproportionately heavily? High-income countries often send “e-waste and used electronics to middle- and low-income countries through uncontrolled transboundary movements”. In 2022, around 3.3 billion kilograms of e-waste were moved in this way. Due to the large scale of transboundary e-waste movements over the past few decades, the adverse impacts that e-waste has are “especially heavy in the developing world”. 🌱 What role could modular devices play? Changing the design of electronic and electrical devices is one way to reduce e-waste. Increasing the lifespan of products and making them easier to repair can significantly cut the production of waste. In this context, making sure spare parts are readily available for long periods of time and that parts can be easily switched out by users is key. By designing devices to be “modular”, users can easily subdivide devices into smaller parts and carry out repairs themselves. When parts can be replaced easily and affordably, users are less likely to dispose of the whole device. 🌱 What other solutions are there? The root problem is the increasing amount of e-waste being produced. Therefore, making sure less e-waste is created by changing product designs and consumption patterns is vital. Making sure that the e-waste that is produced is easier to recycle and working to create cheaper and easier processes for the formal recycling of e-waste is also important. As e-waste is a transboundary issue, global collaboration is key. Across the board, manufacturers and countries producing e-waste need to carry the responsibility for the waste and the damage it creates, rather than simply export the problem.   Read more about e-waste and potential solutions here: - https://www.eco-business.com/press-releases/as-electronic-waste-surges-countries-look-for-answers/ - https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-ewaste-and-what-can-we-do-about-it.html - https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/08/27/growing-e-waste-problem/ - https://energyindustryreview.com/environment/an-opportunity-in-the-circular-economy-e-waste/ - https://pacecircular.org/action-agenda/electronics - https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/repair-recycle-waste-circular-economy/ Read more about modular electronics here: - https://blog.izm.fraunhofer.de/modular-electronics-a-sustainable-solution-for-the-smartphone-era/ - Phonebloks: https://www.onearmy.earth//project/phonebloks - Fairphone: https://www.fairphone.com/en/ - Shiftphone: https://www.shiftphones.com/en/

🌱 Why is there a list of strategic projects under the CRMA? The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) “aims to ensure [domestic] European extraction, processing and recycling of strategic raw materials meet 10%, 40% and 25% of [the] EU's [total] demand by 2030, respectively”. The CRMA came into force on 23 May 2024. At the time, the European Commission opened a call for proposals for so-called “strategic projects”. The submitted projects were assessed by the Commission and external experts to see whether they met the relevant criteria under the CRMA. On this basis, the Commission then compiled a “list of projects for the extraction, processing, recycling or substitution of strategic raw materials”. The first list – consisting of 47 strategic projects – was formally adopted on 25 March 2025. 🌱 Which projects were selected? The 47 strategic projects that were selected “contribute to the EU's secure supply of strategic raw materials, adhere to environmental, social and governance criteria and are technically feasible”. They each “cover one or more segments of the raw material value chain”. Overall, “14 of the 17 strategic raw materials listed” in the CRMA are covered. The projects are located in 13 Member States of the EU. There are projects in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Of the projects selected, 25 are in extraction activities, 24 in processing, 10 in recycling, and only 2 in the substitution of raw materials. All in all, 22 projects cover lithium, 12 nickel, 11 graphite, 10 cobalt, 7 manganese, 3 tungsten, and 1 magnesium. 🌱 What benefits are the projects expected to bring? Overall, the strategic projects will help the EU meet its targets under the CRMA. According to the EU, the projects will “contribute significantly to Europe's green and digital transitions, while supporting Europe's defence industry and aerospace industries”. Through the selected projects the EU hopes to be able to “fully meet its extraction, processing and recycling 2030 benchmarks for lithium and cobalt, while making substantial progress for graphite, nickel and manganese”. 🌱 What happens next? The 47 strategic projects will “benefit from coordinated support by the Commission, Member States and financial institutions to become operational”. An expected capital investment of €22.5 billion is needed for the projects to become operational. The selected projects will “benefit from streamlined permitting provisions” and have “access to finance and support to connect with relevant off-takers”. The permit-granting process for each of the extraction projects will be completed within 27 months, and within 15 months for other projects. The European Commission is expected to launch a new call for Strategic Project at the end of the summer of 2025. Read more about the projects here: - https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_864 - https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials/strategic-projects-under-crma/selected-projects_en - https://www.mining.com/eu-unveils-47-strategic-projects-to-secure-critical-minerals-access/ https://www.miningweekly.com/article/eu-designates-47-strategic-raw-materials-projects-to-strengthen-supply-chain-2025-03-26

🌱 How does mining impact Indigenous People’s rights to water? According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, “the impact of extractivism on natural resources, compounded with the effects of climate change, has meant many indigenous peoples no longer have access to safe drinking water under international human rights standards”.[i] Mining can “creat[e] unacceptable risks of toxic contamination, not only of indigenous peoples' drinking water supplies on site, but also of downstream populations, often occurring in river headwaters”.[ii] 🌱 What overarching issues are there in modern water management? An overarching issue in modern water management and Indigenous Peoples’ access to water is “water and sanitation projects not having a sustainable strategy to prevent funding exhaustion”.[iii] One way to solve this is to factor in the knowledge and know-how of Indigenous Peoples. The beliefs and practices of Indigenous Peoples provide “a genuine expression of the sustainability and eco-systemic approach, which today we are trying to promote in the planning and management of water throughout the world”.[iv] 🌱 What measures should mining companies take to protect water rights? To effectively uphold Indigenous rights, companies “must put in place the necessary means to ensure that indigenous peoples enjoy their human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, inclusive of an intercultural dialogue that is respectful of their ancestral worldviews, knowledge and practices”.[v] All in all, it is also worth noting that “information processes and respectful intercultural dialogue between [stakeholders] and indigenous peoples” are key “to ensure the most appropriate strategies to guarantee the potability of the water used”.[vi] 🌱 How can mining companies factor in Indigenous views? All in all, “in order to guarantee compliance with the rights of indigenous peoples and effective control over their [own] territories”, companies must ensure that the Indigenous “right to free, prior and informed consent [is] implemented before and during any action that affects them, including actions that affect their water and aquatic ecosystems”.[vii] In addition to meaningful stakeholder engagement, companies should carry out thorough social and environmental impact assessments. This information then needs to be shared with relevant stakeholders and form the basis for later dialogues. This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Krisna Baghouzian and Christine Nikander. The newsletter titled “How does mining impact Indigenous Peoples’ water rights?” was originally published in “The E-Waste Newsletter”. [i] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/10/indigenous-peoples-face-growing-challenges-access-safe-water (19.03.2025). [ii] Pedro Arrojo Agudo, Human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation of indigenous peoples: State of affairs and lessons from ancestral cultures. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, p. 10. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/water/2022-11-04/A-HRC-51-24-Friendly-version-EN.pdf (19.03.2025). [iii] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/10/indigenous-peoples-face-growing-challenges-access-safe-water (19.03.2025); The Indigenous Foundation, Lack of Clean Drinking Water in Indigenous communities. https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/articles/lack-of-clean-drinking-water-in-indigenous-communities (19.03.2025). [iv] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/10/indigenous-peoples-face-growing-challenges-access-safe-water (19.03.2025). [v] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/10/indigenous-peoples-face-growing-challenges-access-safe-water (19.03.2025); The Indigenous Foundation, Lack of Clean Drinking Water in Indigenous communities. https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/articles/lack-of-clean-drinking-water-in-indigenous-communities (19.03.2025); B.M.J. Kalpana Balasooriya et al., A review of drinking water quality issues in remote and indigenous communities in rich nations with special emphasis on Australia. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723051847 (19.03.2025). [vi] Pedro Arrojo Agudo, Human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation of indigenous peoples: State of affairs and lessons from ancestral cultures. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, p. 11. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/water/2022-11-04/A-HRC-51-24-Friendly-version-EN.pdf (19.03.2025). [vii] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/10/indigenous-peoples-face-growing-challenges-access-safe-water (19.03.2025).