Making Real Change to the E-Waste Challenge

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster):  Investing into the circular economy is more than just a way of boosting a brand’s reputation. With the global revenue from circular economy transactions currently exceeding $339 billion, anticipated to reach $712.74bn in the next two years, investment into innovative recycle, use and reuse programmes has become a mark of good business as well as a business doing good.

However, despite this increase, the global population “consumed more than 500 billion tons of materials” over the past six years, which was more than the volume used throughout the entirety of the 20th century.

This is clearly not sustainable and sustainability has to become a goal shared by all corporate citizens, particularly within the technology industry. The world, says the UN, is “losing the battle against electronic waste” with more than 62 million metric tons dumped in just one year (2024).

At ERA we believe it is critical that change happens across the world, but particularly in Africa, which has been used as a dumping ground for old electronics. In 2020, authorities in Spain uncovered a network that was shipping about 2.5 billion kg of e-waste to the continent across Durban, Bizerte and Lagos.

The challenge lies in not just preventing the illegal disposal of e-waste, but also in ensuring that existing e-waste is recycled properly. We need to be cognisant of the challenges the materials used to create electronic and electrical products pose when they reach their end of life.

Fortunately, there are organisations making inroads into addressing the challenge. ERA is a relatively new Producer Responsibility Organisation that operates an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for its member companies and has had some early, inspiring results.

Through and alongside ERA, some of South Africa’s electronic and electrical equipment producers are prioritising green and circular economy practices in ways that are unique and transformative. A great example of this is the recent Dell Technologies Children vs. Champions campaign with the Springbok Rugby team. The campaign is bringing environmental awareness to people across all age groups in an inspiring and engaging way.

This type of engagement from local organisations highlights and endorses the narrative that the proper disposal of e-waste is an urgent matter and is aimed at changing consumer behaviours and expectations.

Across different sectors and industries, increasing numbers of retailers and manufacturers are taking responsibility for their goods when they reach the end of their life. For example, the ICT sector has been working with ERA from inception, and has demonstrated impressive maturity and forward-thinking. These efforts are changing the face of retail while educating customers on their role in reducing waste.

 Courtesy: www.iol.co.za