Technology Giants Announced New Initiative to Tackle E-Waste Hurdle
E-waste Recycling | 2021-03-22 23:26:24
Incidentally, a recent UN study had pointed out that rare earth metals worth over $55 billion are waste every year due to lack of responsible recycling.
By Paul Ploumis
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Technology giants including Dell, Microsoft and Google announced new initiative aimed at tacking e-waste crisis. It aims to create a circular economy for electronics by 2030.
The new initiative is led by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Economic Forum. It is yet to propose financial commitments or firm targets. The companies have agreed on proposals to create an “eco label system” and design products in such a way that it is easy to extract precious metals from them. Incidentally, a recent UN study had pointed out that rare earth metals worth over $55 billion are waste every year due to lack of responsible recycling.
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Ecolabelling is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification. Ecolabels are marks placed on product packaging or in e-catalogs that can help consumers and institutional purchasers quickly and easily identify those products that meet specific environmental performance criteria and are therefore deemed “environmentally preferable”.
Commenting on the new initiative, Brendan Edgerton of the WBCSD noted that a material difference could happen only if recycling principles becomes “new normal”. The idea of eco label is already being considered in Europe, he noted.
