$60M GEM Program Targets E-Waste Across 16 Countries

A $60 million international initiative will support 16 countries in extending electronics lifespans, expanding repair and reuse, and improving collection and recycling as governments confront the rapid growth of global electronic waste.

By Paul Ploumis
Published October 19, 2026

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A $60 million international programme aimed at transforming electronics management could create new opportunities for repair businesses, recyclers, traders and service providers while helping consumers keep devices in use for longer.

Launched in Manila in October 2026, the Global Electronics Management (GEM) Program is funded by the Global Environment Facility and led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with the African Development Bank, UNDP and UNEP.

The programme is designed to link environmental protection with a wider economic challenge: expanding access to electronics without allowing discarded equipment to become an increasingly costly waste stream.

Turning Discarded Electronics Into Economic Opportunity

The scale of the challenge is substantial.

The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 recorded 62 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2022. Only 22.3% was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner.

Annual global e-waste generation is projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030.

For participating economies, the commercial opportunity extends beyond recovering metals and other raw materials from discarded equipment.

Repairing, refurbishing and reselling functioning devices can preserve more product value, while collection, testing, logistics, maintenance and recycling services could also benefit from more structured electronics-management systems.

However, discarded electronics do not automatically become profitable resources. Businesses still face collection, transport, sorting, testing and safe-treatment costs, and their viability depends on dependable material flows and demand for recovered products and materials.

Sixteen Countries Join the GEM Program

The programme covers 16 countries.

Participants include Botswana, Cambodia, Colombia, Djibouti, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Peru, the Philippines, Somalia, South Africa, Türkiye and Viet Nam.

Its priorities include more resource-efficient production, longer product lifetimes, repair, reuse, collection, recovery and environmentally sound recycling.

The programme also aims to strengthen policies, regulations, access to finance and technology adoption to create more workable circular-electronics markets.

Repair and Refurbishment Could Create New Business Models

For electronics traders and retailers, the programme could encourage greater use of maintenance contracts, refurbishment, take-back services and resale.

Businesses able to demonstrate product quality, reliable testing and dependable after-sales support could benefit as formal reuse and refurbishment markets develop.

The transition may be more challenging for smaller operators. Testing equipment, transaction records, compliant collection and responsible disposal all require capital and technical capacity.

Policy implementation will therefore need to account for the practical costs faced by smaller businesses, while clearly distinguishing reusable equipment from waste so legitimate second-hand trade can continue.

Consumers Need Affordable Repair and Trusted Products

For households and small businesses, longer product lifetimes could reduce the overall cost of owning electronics by delaying replacement.

That outcome will depend on the availability of spare parts, qualified technicians, transparent pricing and dependable warranties.

Refurbished equipment will also need to meet acceptable standards for performance, safety and data security.

Convenient collection systems will be equally important. Schemes that are difficult or expensive for consumers to use may struggle to attract enough material into formal reuse and recycling channels.

E-Waste Also Carries Health and Environmental Costs

Poorly managed electronic waste can release hazardous substances and create wider environmental and public-health risks.

The Global E-waste Monitor identifies significant costs linked to lead and mercury emissions, plastic leakage and other impacts associated with inadequate treatment.

Improving collection and processing therefore has implications beyond material recovery, particularly for workers and communities exposed to unsafe recycling practices.

Implementation Will Determine Whether GEM Delivers Results

For governments and development partners, the programme creates an opportunity to connect digital development, industrial policy and waste management more closely.

Potential measures include producer-responsibility systems, improved collection networks, repair and reuse policies, procurement standards and stronger integration of informal collectors and technicians into safer formal systems.

Financial institutions, manufacturers, recyclers and civil-society groups are also expected to play roles in developing viable business models and expanding access to responsible electronics management.

The programme's launch does not yet establish country-level job creation, household savings or future collection performance. Those outcomes will depend on implementation.

Ultimately, GEM's success will be measured by whether more equipment remains in productive use, greater volumes of e-waste reach environmentally sound treatment, and circular-electronics businesses become commercially sustainable.

Courtesy: www.devdiscourse.com