Every year, nearly 1.3 billion smartphones, over 400 million personal computing devices and 11 million servers are sold globally. Most of them live a linear life – from production to use to landfill, contributing negatively to environment by way of embodied and operational carbon as well as irrevocable loss of resources. Less than a fourth of eWaste is formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound way. Surely, more recycling will solve the problem, right? Turns out that is the wrong way to think about the eWaste crisis. Alvin Piadasa, Group Sustainability Director, SK Tes explained at an APAC Sustainability Advisory Council session explained that recycling should be the last resort, not the first response. Why?
The recovery of materials through recycling is just about 15-20%. Many of the rare earths, currently in spotlight because of the trade war, are often lost in the recycling process. Recycling is also energy intensive, negating some of its benefits. Moreover, recyclers often damage some functional parts that can be harvested for reuse or refurbishing. So, what is a better approach to address this growing menace? Extending the life of devices. Giving a PC and a smartphone a second life can save about 54 kg and 10 kg of embodied carbon respectively. This is because one less PC and a smartphone will need to produced each year of its extended life. Multiply this with the number of devices mentioned above, and the attractiveness of this approach becomes clear. This avoided carbon is called ‘Scope 4’, a term that was new to me. One challenge, especially for server reuse is that new generation servers are so much more energy efficient that extending the lives of older servers could result in more carbon emissions overall, than switching to the new ones. A more detailed assessment of the carbon accounting is needed taking these factors into account.
Clearly, this will have consequences for the tech industry that measures its success in terms of new units sold. While designing for repair and easy recycling is not a priority for them, a growing number of regulations on ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ and Product Stewardship which obligate manufacturers to take back and recycle their products are coming into force. Similarly, the Right to Repair Acts in the EU, Australia and 5 states of the US are steps in the right direction. Further, Basel Convention on transboundary movement of hazardous eWaste are tightening controls on plastics and end-of-life electronics.
SK Tes is a global leader in a field called IT Asset Disposal (ITAD), which prioritized extending the life of assets through refurbishment, followed by recycling in a close-loop way, maximizing the recovery of critical minerals, and safe disposal of the rest. Started in Singapore it is now present in 40 cities around the world, and processes 100 million kgs a year. It conducts detailed carbon accounting of the disposal process and provides a ‘Carbon Loop Report’.
This is an area where we as corporate leaders can play a role by ensuring safe disposal of electronic waste through credible ITAD companies. By assuming responsibility for the entire lifecycle of electronic gadgets we can flatten the eWaste mountain.
