Solutions: Towards Sustainable ICT Supply Chains

Greening the ICT reverse supply chain

Dr. Mathias Schluep, Empa

ITU Green Standards Week, 18 September 2012, Paris / France

Main objectives

Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal

Access 100%

recovery of resources/

segregation of hazardous waste

Safe

Main actors

Informal sector

Informalrecycling

Informal collectors /

scrap dealers

Informal dumping &

burning

Formal recyclingindustry

Institutional & corporate consumer

Private consumer

Donations

Official dumpsites

Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal

Global Industry

Second-handindustry

Refurbishers & Repairers

Distributors& retailersof new EEE

Distributors& retailersof used EEE

Communalcollection

Unwanted processes (examples)

Informal sector

Informalrecycling

Informal collectors /

scrap dealers

Informal dumping &

burning

Formal recyclingindustry

Institutional & corporate consumer

Private consumer

Donations

Official dumpsites

Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal

Global Industry

Second-handindustry

Refurbishers & Repairers

Distributors& retailersof new EEE

Distributors& retailersof used EEE

Communalcollection

1

Import of e-waste and near end of life EEE

2

Consumer dumps e-waste with

household waste

3

Under harmful conditions

4

Secondary resources are not recovered

5

Emissions to the

environment

Intervention mechanisms

Informal sector

Informalrecycling

Informal collectors /

scrap dealers

Informal dumping &

burning

Formal recyclingindustry

Institutional & corporate consumer

Private consumer

Donations

Official dumpsites

Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal

Global Industry

Second-handindustry

Refurbishers & Repairers

Distributors& retailersof new EEE

Distributors& retailersof used EEE

Communalcollection

Policy & Legislation Business & Finance Technology & Skills

Marketing & Awareness

Monitoring and Control

Developing a legal framework …

… in synergy with existing policies and legal frameworks, especially related to environment, general waste management, as well as health and safety

… to ensure that all actors will play under the same rules, in order to avoid ‘’cherry picking’’ (level playing field)

… by defining appropriate roles and responsibilities

Policy & Legislation

Policy & Legislation

Example: Swiss WEEE legislation (ORDEE)

Obligation to return

Obligation to take back

Obligation to dispose of

Guarantee best disposal

proof legal disposal

Consumer

Retailer/Manufacturer/Importer

• but free of charge!• return it to a retailer, manufacturer /

importer or to a collection point

• appliances they normally stock, manufacture or import

• retailers may return it to manufacturer or importer

• dispose of via own or existing PRO's system

• license granted by cantonal authorities

• control by PRO and cantonal authorities

Recycler

• export permit granted by Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN)Exporter

Establishing an institutional framework and a financing scheme … … (e.g.) under the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility

(EPR), where producers and importers should be given an appropriate role to manage the waste generated out of their products

… to ensure that the right market incentives lead to high collection and material recovery rates.

… to ensure that recycling is a sustainable business, also under unfavorable economic conditions

… by providing an additional flexible income stream (in addition to revenues through sold secondary materials) enabled through a financing scheme

Business & Finance

The dependency on global commodity prices has to be interpreted as a relevant risk for the business’ profitability

Business & Finance

developing a qualified and efficient e-waste recycling sector …

… with careful consideration of the socio-economic conditions (e.g. low labor costs) and the possible roles of informal collection and dismantling before establishing a parallel system in competition to these structures

… to ensure an efficient and effective recycling chain with high value for people and the environment

… by identifying downstream processes for hazardous and valuable fractions , including interlinking the local recyclers to international recycling companies and networks, for developing market outlets for their pre-processed e-waste fractions

Technology & Skills

The material recovery efficiency of the entire recycling chain depends on the efficiency of each step and on how well the interfaces between these interdependent steps are managed

Technology & SkillsMaterial recovery efficiency

System Net yield

Formal e.g. Europe

15%

Informal e.g. India

20%

formal take-back

system60%

mainly mechanical processes

25% integrated smelter95%

individual collectors80%

manual sorting and dismantling

50% backyard leaching50%

Distribution & Consumption DisposalCollection Pre-Processing End-Processing

Informal sector Bangalore

Technology & SkillsExample gold recovery

State of the art smelter

only 20% gets recovered > 60% loss due to the manual dismantling

process > 50 % loss due to the wet-chemical

leaching process Emissions are dramatic: up to 400x

European thresholds

Recovery rate of up to 95% Plus other metal, e.g. palladium, silver,

copper etc,

High – tech off-gas control and treatment system

Some reference documents for best available technologies (BAT) and best environmental practices (BEP)

Technology & SkillsBET / BEP reference documents

Computing Equipment(all fractions)

• PACE, “Guideline on environmentally sound material recovery and recycling of end-of-life computing equipment,” Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment, Geneva / Switzerland, 2011.

Metals•Pyrometallurgical•Hydrometallurgical

• M. Schluep, C. Hagelueken, R. Kuehr, F. Magalini, C. Maurer, C. Meskers, E. Mueller, and F. Wang, “Recycling - from e-waste to resources, Sustainable innovation and technology transfer industrial sector studies,” United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Paris, France, 2009

• UNEP, “Metal Recycling - Opportunities, Limits, Infrastructure,” United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Paris / France, Draft #3, 2012

Plastics • Stockholm Convention, “Guidelines on Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practice for the Recycling and Disposal of Articles containing Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants,” UNEP, UNIDO, unitar, Vienna, Austria, draft v1 2011.

Batteries • ERM, “Battery Waste Management - Life Cycle Assessment,” UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), London, UK, 2006.

Monitoring & Control

ensuring a continuous improvement and maintaining compliance of the e-waste sector …

… by implementing monitoring and control mechanisms which favour high standard operations and allow businesses to grow in a level playing field

Greening the ICT reverse supply chain requires to:

… understand the main objectives of e-waste recycling

… know who the main actors are in the reverse supply chain

… define what intervention mechanisms are needed for

developing a legal framework establishing an institutional framework and a financing scheme developing a qualified and efficient e-waste recycling sector ensuring a continuous improvement and maintaining compliance of

the e-waste sector

Conclusion

GeSI & StEP E-waste Academy

Dr. Mathias SchluepEmpaLerchenfeldstrasse 59014 St.Gallen

SWITZERLAND

mathias.schluep@empa.ch

Technology & Society Lab:www.empa.ch/tsl

Swiss e-Wast Programme:www.ewasteguide.info

Swiss e-Waste Competencewww.e-waste.ch

Thank you!