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Why does e-waste matter?
Understand the broader relevance of waste from electronics
E-waste is not trash, but a valuable source of materials.
If you had a ton of e-waste, it would contain at least 10 times more gold than you would find in a ton of the ore from which gold is extracted. If your ton of e-waste consisted predominantly of old circuit boards and old smartphones, it could even contain 100 times more gold than what you would find in a ton of gold ore.
E-waste contains valuable minerals, metals, and so-called "critical raw materials". All of these materials are finite, meaning that they occur in limited amounts on Earth. As we need these materials to produce different electronics (including phones, laptops, and medical devices) as well as renewable energy technologies, it is important that we manage and use them properly.
By recovering materials from e-waste and using these again in new electronics, it becomes possible to create a circular or "closed loop" system that can be maintained in the long run. This, however, is only possible if consumers and businesses dispose of their e-waste properly and there is the correct infrastructure in place to then recycle and recover the valuable materials this e-waste contains.
E-waste can be dangerous, if it is not managed properly.
E-waste is often referred to as "the world's fastest-growing solid waste stream". It is classified as a form of hazardous waste, as it contains heavy metals and other toxins.
We produce more and more e-waste each year, but the recycling infrastructure and the recycling rates are not keeping up with this growth in e-waste. Given that this waste contains materials that we are likely to need further down the road to produce new products, this is a truly problematic development.
If the e-waste we produce is not disposed of and treated correctly, it can cause battery fires that put workers at risk or lead to environmental pollution that puts both ecosystems' and communities' health at risk. To avoid these issues, different stakeholders have to work together effectively, which is not always the case at the moment.
If we want to see meaningful progress around e-waste, we need to start working together better to manage this waste and come up with future-proof solutions for how we manage our resources.
E-waste is largely a design and use problem.
The design phase determines "up to 80% of a product's environmental impacts". By increasing the lifespan of electronic devices by 50% to 100% — for example through repair, refurbishment, and reuse, it is possible to "mitigate up to half of the total greenhouse gas emissions" created by the electronics industry.
How electronics are designed matters, as it determines what their lifecycles and supply chains look like. Making devices durable and repairable can help to mitigate a lot of the adverse impacts of electronics and e-waste. Design is not just a question for designers, though. What policymakers and governments put down in product requirements and rules shapes the market. What buyers or consumers are looking for and ultimately buy matters too.
Beyond this, whether or not consumers and businesses repair and use their devices over longer periods of time plays a huge role. This, however, requires the necessary infrastructure, which is something civil society, businesses, and governments collectively play a role in creating.
Managing raw materials and e-waste better can improve our societies.
Raw materials and e-waste are about so much more than just materials and waste. They both play a huge role in the autonomy, self-determination, independence, sovereignty, security, development, and prosperity of our societies.
Raw materials and e-waste impact real people. From unsafe working conditions to forced labor, how we produce and dispose of electronics can have a considerable impact on the rights of workers and surrounding communities. Additionally, long-term environmental pollution, created from mining raw materials to dealing with e-waste, can affect the health of several generations.
There are considerable power dynamics around raw materials — and ultimately, raw materials can build up or destroy whole communities, societies, and countries. Today, raw materials are needed to produce electronics and renewable energy technologies. Both of these play a considerable role in the economic development and financial growth of countries. Raw material ownership can therewith lead to the accumulation of power and independence. If the power dynamics are skewed, the presence of raw materials can however also lead to situations of exaction, coercion, and extortion.
Across global supply chains, the supply and control of essential resources can lead to unwanted dependencies, corruption, and violent disputes. In the worst case, so-called "resource curses" and resource conflicts can put an end to the peace and prosperity of an entire country or region.
If we want to see long-term sustainable development globally, we need to take how we manage our raw materials and e-waste seriously.
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