Get the knowledge: How to make better choices about electronics 

Another big issue is built in obsolescence. A European Environment Information and Observatory Network report on Electronics and obsolescence in a circular economy indicates the current shortfall in consumer expectations for how long products should last and what they actually deliver (see table below).

 

Product	Designed (years)	Consumer expectations	Actual
Phone	2	4.5	1.8
TV	25	10.5	7.3
Washing machine	10	12.5	8.3
Vacuum cleaner	10	10	8
Fridge	-	12.5	8.5

Last year Good Electronics published a State of Play and Roadmap report to feed into the EU’s  Re-sourcing project, which aims to tackle both substandard working conditions and human rights violations in the sector, and risks associated with conflict minerals, artisanal mines, and mica mining. The overall aim is to define, implement and verify responsible sourcing practices across the supply. 

 

While consumers wait for this to happen, there are alternatives on the market, such as Fairphone, which tackle issues including the treatment of workers at its suppliers. But these products represent a relatively small and new part of the technology market. 

E-waste mountain 

As well as huge growth in demand for EEE, the sector produces the fastest-growing waste stream, creating nearly 60m tonnes of waste in 2021, according to the public-private collaboration Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (Pace). 

 

That figure is expected to increase to 75m tonnes by 2030. The group notes that EEE waste contains products that have been discarded prematurely, along with raw materials, that has a value of $60m (this is mainly based on the value of iron, copper and gold). Currently, less than 20% of global waste is collected and recycled or managed appropriately. 

 

The rest is lost to landfill (it is estimated that 2% of all landfills in the US consists of waste EEE) or shipped to low income countries. In many of these countries an informal economy has built up to dismantle and extract valuable resources, but often without adequate protection for workers or the environment, leading to impacts on health and pollution. 

 

It is estimated that 50-80% of e-waste sent to electronics recycling centres in the US and Europe end up in other nations, as it’s cheaper to get labour elsewhere to separate the materials. 

Circular solutions

One way to tackle resource use and waste generation is to adopt circular approaches to electronic and electrical products. So far, use of recycled materials in electronics has proved problematic as there is, as yet, insufficient recycled materials available. 

 

But as more sectors adopt circular approaches there is likely to be more recycled feedstock available. Also more companies are setting up services to collect and recycle EEE because of the value of the waste. 

 

Recycling materials from electronics is also challenging because of the complexity of product design, the way that they are built (they are not easy to dismantle for processing), and the vast array of materials they contain that can be difficult to separate. 

 

In addition, electronics often contain hazardous substances, such as lead solder, certain flame retardants and plastics additives. These chemicals pose little threat when they are contained within the devices, but present significant risks to anyone dismantling and recycling. 

 

These substances need to be removed during recycling, so they do not reenter material streams, where they wouldn’t be labelled or identified, presenting a potential risk to people buying products made of recycled materials. 

New business models

A report by Pace for the World Economic Forum and UN E-Waste Coalition recommended that the tech sector rethink its business models, shifting away from linear sales, to as-a-service model as this would support the recirculation of materials, as well as extend the life of products. 

 

Companies are looking for circular business models to keep materials in use as long as possible. Dell, for example, achieved a certified closed-loop process which takes plastics from recycled electronics and processes them for use as plastic parts in new computers. The company  has used millions of pounds of recycled plastic in more than 125 different product lines.

Convincing consumers

Making sure the public is engaged with these changes is critical. WEF notes that while consumers look for more sustainable choices, there is still a perception that use of recycled or more sustainable materials in new products means they are of lower quality. It is important that brands and the media convince people otherwise.

 

People don’t only need help with their purchases, they also need better information on repair, recycling and disposal. Businesses and governments might also consider incentives.

 

There are a growing number of centres dedicated to recycling electronics locally. The best way to find one is to search for ‘electronic recycling’ [how can you ensure they handle your products sustainably?]. 

Hoarded e-waste

An Ipsos Mori survey for the Royal Society of Chemistry found that nearly half of UK households have up to five unused electronic devices – such as mobile phones, computers, smart TVs, MP3 players or e-readers. (The number increases to ten for people between 16-24). The survey also showed that more than 80% of people have no plans to recycle or sell on their devices after they fall out of use.

 

The RSC notes that natural sources of six of the elements found in mobile phones are set to run out within the next 100 years. Nearly 60% of people said that knowing this would make them more likely to recycle old devices.

 

The fact is, many materials used in electronics can be recovered and recycled, and more could be if circularity is considered during design. For example, copper, aluminium, gold, silver and zinc are 100% recyclable and can be recycled a repeated number of times with no loss in performance. Other metals like lithium and cobalt are also recyclable, although there is some degradation. 

 

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation set out its circular vision for consumer electronics in 2017, noting that cloud computing and data storage mean consumer access to their data is independent of the device, which should make them happier to let go of their devices (rather than hoarding them). 

Regulatory measures 

The electronics industry is also regulated in several ways.  The Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive bought in by the EU in 2011 has been updated several times, as more chemicals are restricted. 

 

Similar regulations have been adopted around the world, especially in Asia, as governments work to protect citizens from exposure to toxic materials. The EU’s Waste EEE directive aims to contribute to sustainable consumption and production, and the bloc has recently proposed an update to its Batteries directive.

 

In terms of product life and repairability, governments are currently in the process of pushing tech companies to create goods that have longevity or can be upgraded. 

 

The EU has demanded the USB actually be a universal charger solution, helping reduce the planned cord obsolescence that’s in-built into so much of tech.

 

France has created a tech repairability index. This requires tech companies to provide a score rating on how repairable their product is (Product life span article). 

 

Under EU and UK right-to-repair laws, manufacturers must make spare parts for electrical appliances available within two years of all model launches, and then for between seven and 10 years after the model is discontinued, depending on the type of product. 

 

This currently applies to dishwashers, washing machines, washer-dryers, dryers, fridges, freezers, televisions and other electronic displays for home use. 

 

Some companies, like HP and Dell now provide access to firmware, spare parts and tutorials, meaning that the average consumer will be able to upgrade their goods with a little bit of work. 

Energy use

Many authorities also require companies to label products with energy efficiency ratings, so that consumers can identify devices and equipment that will help them save on their energy bills.

 

The repair community group Restart investigated the greenhouse gas emissions for a range of products – both during manufacture and use. For the majority of items, most of the global warming impact occurred before it was used for the first time. 

 

An average laptop creates about 328kg of embodied CO2e during its life (similar to the figure for flying from London to New York). Just over 80% is from the manufacturing stage, with the remainder associated with use (based on a four year life span). 

 

The investigation also showed how difficult it is to identify that information, as it is not data manufacturers tend to publish. But from what could be assessed, the ability to use devices for longer, including repair, has a big impact.

 

Additional reporting by Jason Dike