UNEP report on electronic scrap has serious flaws, says researchers

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A team of researchers has alleged that the recent report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) contains serious flaws. In a blog, Josh Lepawsky, Joshua Goldstein and Yvan Schulz noted that several assertions made by the UN Agency are backed with statements that are taken from other sources.

The report had stated that nearly 60% to 90% of the world’s electronic waste are traded or dumped illegally. According to researchers, this assumption is based on the report released in 2013 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which had stated that nearly 60% to 90% of the globally generated material is handled improperly. The UNEP press release on e-scrap has considered the upper range of 90%, which figured in subsequent media reports.

The researchers also expressed disagreement with the portion of the report which mentions that global e-scrap generation has reached 41.8 million metric tons per year. In addition, they also challenged the description on the current state of electronic waste processing facilities in China and Ghana. The report had stated Ghana and Nigeria as the largest e-waste recipients. It had also mentioned that China is the fastest growing e-waste hub in the Asian region.

Josh Lepawsky is a university level teacher at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. Joshua Goldstein is a faculty at the University of Southern California and Yvan Schulz is a teacher at the University of Neuchâtel in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

The UNEP report on global electronic waste trade was released on 12^th May.