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

Distribution & Consumption Main objectives Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal Access 100% recovery of resources/ segregation of hazardous waste Safe

Distribution & Consumption Main actors Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal Global Industry Second-hand industry Refurbishers & Repairers Distributors & retailers of new EEE Distributors & retailers of used EEE Institutional & corporate consumer Private consumer Donations Official dumpsites Communal collection Formal recycling industry Informal sector Informal recycling Informal collectors / scrap dealers Informal dumping & burning

Unwanted processes (examples) Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal Global Industry 1 Import of e-waste and near end of life EEE Second-hand industry Refurbishers & Repairers Distributors & retailers of new EEE Distributors & retailers of used EEE Institutional & corporate consumer Private consumer Donations Official dumpsites 4 Secondary resources are not recovered Communal collection Formal recycling industry 2 Consumer dumps e-waste with household waste 3 Under harmful conditions 5 Emissions to the environment Informal sector Informal recycling Informal collectors / scrap dealers Informal dumping & burning

Intervention mechanisms Informal sector Informal recycling Informal collectors / scrap dealers Informal dumping & burning Formal recycling industry Institutional & corporate consumer Private consumer Donations Official dumpsites Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal Global Industry Second-hand industry Refurbishers & Repairers Distributors & retailers of new EEE Distributors & retailers of used EEE Communal collection Marketing & Awareness Policy & Legislation Business & Finance Technology & Skills Monitoring and Control

Developing a legal framework … Policy & Legislation 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

Example: Swiss WEEE legislation (ORDEE) Policy & Legislation Example: Swiss WEEE legislation (ORDEE) but free of charge! return it to a retailer, manufacturer / importer or to a collection point Consumer Obligation to return   appliances they normally stock, manufacture or import retailers may return it to manufacturer or importer dispose of via own or existing PRO's system Obligation to take back   Retailer/ Manufacturer/ Importer Obligation to dispose of   license granted by cantonal authorities control by PRO and cantonal authorities Recycler   Guarantee best disposal   Exporter   proof legal disposal   export permit granted by Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN)

Establishing an institutional framework and a financing scheme … Business & Finance 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

developing a qualified and efficient e-waste recycling sector … Technology & Skills 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 Material recovery efficiency 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 Distribution & Consumption Collection Pre-Processing End-Processing Disposal

Technology & Skills Example gold recovery Informal sector Bangalore 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

Technology & Skills Initial recycling steps Pre-Processing Source: PACE, “Guideline on environmentally sound material recovery and recycling of end-of-life computing equipment,” Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment, Geneva / Switzerland, 2011.

Technology & Skills Mechanical Treatment Pre-Processing End-Processing Source: PACE, “Guideline on environmentally sound material recovery and recycling of end-of-life computing equipment,” Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment, Geneva / Switzerland, 2011.

Technology & Skills BET / BEP reference documents Some reference documents for best available technologies (BAT) and best environmental practices (BEP) 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: Conclusion 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

Thank you! Dr. Mathias Schluep Empa Lerchenfeldstrasse 5 9014 St.Gallen SWITZERLAND mathias.schluep@empa.ch Technology & Society Lab: www.empa.ch/tsl Swiss e-Wast Programme: www.ewasteguide.info Swiss e-Waste Competence www.e-waste.ch GeSI & StEP E-waste Academy