Tim Westbrook, director at Stone Group says that urgent action needed to tackle the growing global e-waste crisis, saying it’s vital that we ‘educate ourselves’ around the issues of e-waste and do what we can to reduce its negative impact on the environment.
The amount of e-waste generated globally, and the impact this is having on our planet, is an issue we cannot afford to ignore any longer. In 2019 alone, 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste was generated across the globe – that’s equivalent to 350 cruise ships.
And, although we may be more advanced on environmental policies and innovations in the UK than some countries, on average, each person in the UK created 23.9kg of e-waste, making us the second highest per capita in the world.
The toxic substances released from e-waste cause serious harm to the environment, wildlife, crops, and human health, and if we fail to take appropriate action now, we will fail to preserve the planet for future generations.
The global e-waste challenge currently shows no signs of slowing, as researchers estimate the global e-waste mountain will grow to 74.7 million metric tonnes by 2030. No surprise given the average person upgrades their mobile phone about every two and half years, while businesses typically upgrade IT hardware every three to five years.
Improperly managed e-waste has led to the creation of the ‘informal recycling industry’ in developing nations and third world countries, where workers, many of them young children, put their health at risk to manually sort, dismantle and incinerate e-waste scraps to earn very little money.
The global e-waste challenge currently shows no signs of slowing, as researchers estimate the global e-waste mountain will grow to 74.7 million metric tonnes by 2030. No surprise given the average person upgrades their mobile phone about every two and half years, while businesses typically upgrade IT hardware every three to five years.
The pandemic has only exacerbated the issue, as the mass switch to remote working and learning saw demand for desktops fall significantly, resulting in high levels of unused stock. This was recognised in our own sales at Stone, with desktop sales through 2020 down by 50%, while demand for laptops and tablets soared.
Even as we return to some form of normality, we expect to see organisations continue to replace desktops for mobile devices to enable remote capability, which means that as many as 50% of desktop computers in the UK could become redundant. This would equate to a huge amount of hardware to dispose of, and statistics show (The Global E-waste Monitor 2020) that a lot of this is likely to be sent to landfill or incinerated.
We recently conducted a survey of 250 senior decision makers with responsibility for green initiatives in private and public sector organisations, and nearly half admitted they don’t know if their workplace recycles old electronic devices and almost 60% admitted they don’t recycle their own electronics.
What should government be doing?
To enact real, meaningful, and lasting change, the government needs to do more to help raise awareness around the e-waste issue, and to put policies in place to make manufacturers and resellers more accountable for their contribution to the problem.
We saw some positive progress made late last year, with MPs calling for the ‘right to repair’ to become law; condemning ‘built-in obsolescence’ and intentionally short device lifespans. The report calls for tech firms to collect redundant products from customers and pay for them to be recycled and set long-term targets to reduce consumption and capture vital raw materials.
It’s crucial that the government builds on this momentum and enforces this change now to prevent more devastation to people and the planet.
How the IT industry needs to step up
While direction must come from the government, the onus should sit firmly with the equipment manufacturers and resellers themselves. We see firms of all shapes and sizes championing the sustainability message, but very few backing claims with real action.
Many currently outsource equipment disposal to a third party, with little or no knowledge or care whether it’s responsibly recycled or dumped in landfill. It’s time for equipment manufacturers and resellers to step up and take more accountability, starting by making it easier for customers to return hardware at its end of life.
They need to be capable of taking back and securely refurbishing or recycling any equipment they sell, not just blindly outsourcing the process to a third party, but taking full ownership and investing in the equipment, facilities and expertise they need to provide this service themselves.
It’s time for more manufacturers and resellers to put their money where their mouth is and give customers the tools to make more sustainable and responsible decisions about their redundant hardware.
What can organisations do?
It’s incredibly positive to see organisations keen to do more to combat the e-waste issue – our survey found that sustainability remains a clear priority for the UK’s public and private sector organisations, despite the disruption and economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, and a third identified the improved management of ageing IT as a priority.
We also found that organisations are increasingly choosing refurbished IT hardware as a greener and more cost-effective way to update their IT estates. A quarter of organisations claim to buy refurbished IT where possible; 42% purchase a mixture of refurbished and new equipment, while only a third still insist on buying new.
And, for those organisations that don’t currently have sustainable IT asset management on their list of priorities, even small, simple steps can make a big difference. These steps aren’t particularly onerous nor do they require much investment.
There are accredited secure IT asset disposal partners, such as Stone Group, that can collect ageing, broken or redundant hardware directly from your organisation for free, and recycle or refurbish them in a dedicated WEEE-compliant facility.
Many even provide rebates for old hardware, which can be reinvested directly into new or refurbished equipment, providing a circular and more sustainable approach. It’s vital that we educate ourselves around the issues of e-waste and do what we can to reduce its negative impact on the environment.