A new report, titled “Circular Supply Chain Transformation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Trade-Offs for Circular Smartphones and Computers,” provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges, opportunities, and potential trade-offs for circular electronics.
In 2019, the world produced 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste. While e-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world, only 17.4% of it is properly collected, documented, and recycled. This means that a huge amount of hazardous waste is exported (sometimes illegally) to countries in the Global South, endangering both human health and the environment.
However, e-waste is only one of many issues arising from our current make–take–dispose paradigm for electronic supply chains. Based on a literature review and data collected from nine industry experts, the report highlights the importance, opportunities, and potential trade-offs associated with circular supply chains for electronic devices in a way that makes it easier for decision makers to understand and navigate the circular transformation.
Importantly, the report emphasizes that everyone – from manufacturers and purchasers to distributors, recyclers, and policy makers – has a role to play in the transformation toward circular devices, and that it is possible to implement many of these circular initiatives in a way that reduces the environmental, social, and economic costs of electronic devices.
“Raising awareness is the first step toward doing things differently. We hope that this report can help companies and policymakers understand the environmental and social impact of their electronic devices and guide their purchasing and supply chain policies moving forward,” co-editor and Professor Frank Fürstenberg.
By providing concrete examples and societal reflections, the report serves as a foundation and guide for decision makers who want to reduce the negative impact of their electronic devices.
“The report highlights the importance and opportunities of a circular transformation for circular devices but ends with a note of caution. This is not to discourage decision makers from embarking on a circular journey. On the contrary, by placing the circular economy in a larger sustainability context, the report provides the readers with a toolbox that will enable them to make better-informed decisions,” co-editor and Associate Professor Andreas Wieland.
You can download and read the full report here: Circular Supply Chain Transformation – Challenges, Opportunities, and Trade-Offs for Circular Smartphones and Computers.pdf
The report, Circular Supply Chain Transformation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Trade-Offs for Circular Smartphones and Computes, was written by Katinka Bjørndal Thomsen and Anika Schulte (Andreas Wieland, Frank Fürstenberg, Philip Beske-Janssen, eds.) as part of the Reimagining Supply Chains Initiative.
Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash.
