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📞 If you’re reading this newsletter, chances are that you’re old enough to remember your very first handphone, the Nokia 3310…

🪨 Do you remember how indestructible those things were? You could throw it off of a cliff, run it over with a train, toss it off a plane; those things just did not break!

Do you remember what happened to yours? Did you toss it in a bin 🚮, hand it down to a younger sibling 🫳🏻 or sell it on eBay 🤑?

Well according to Nokia, most of us either leave our old phones in a drawer somewhere or discard of them in landfills prematurely; but they’re trying to improve the sustainability of their phones through (yep, you guessed it) making their phones even more durable, as well as leveraging recycled components ♻️ and giving the users the right to repair 🩹 their devices (Nokia, 2023).

🧐 In this issue we’re going to break down what happens to our eclectic collection of electronics—including seemingly indestructible phones—after we part ways with them.

🗑️ What’s the deal with electronic waste (e-waste)?

As mentioned during our issue last week on sustainable production, how we make things matters a lot to our overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the case of electronics this is especially true due to the complex supply chains that encompass diverse activities such as mineral mining ⛏️, manufacturing 🧑🏻‍🏭, and global logistics 🚢.

Electronic waste—or e-waste for short—describes the “electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been discarded as waste without the intent of re-use” (GSMA, 2020).

😵 According to recent research, the growing demand for electronic products has driven a corresponding increase in GHG emissions of 53% between 2014 and 2020, when it reached a total of 580 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions (Circular Economy, 2022)! Tying this into our issue from last week: for context, this is larger than the annual emissions of the entire cotton (Environmental Justice Foundation, 2020) and leather industries combined (Solidaridad, 2020 & UNIDO, 2017).

🧱 So what can be done about this? Well, it seems that Nokia is indeed onto something with regards to durability & repairability, because according to the same aforementioned research, increasing the “useful lifespan” of electronics by 50%-100% can cut CO₂e emissions in half (Circular Economy, 2022).

🍎 Apple products are especially notorious for “planned obsolescence”, which essentially entails intentionally phasing out older versions of products for newer ones in order to drive sales. Such practices have a large environmental footprint because most of the emissions of electronic products occur during the manufacturing stage, so continuous fabrication of new electronic products contributes to a ballooning of emissions (IEEE, 2021). In fact, a French NGO called Halt Planned Obsolescence recently filed a lawsuit against Apple, calling on them “to guarantee the right to repair devices under the logic of real circular economy” (France24, 2023).

✍🏻 In any case, Apple has certainly seen the writing on the wall when it comes to corporate pressure for increased environmental sustainability as they recently put out a compelling video on September 12th that has already reached 4 million views as of the writing of this issue. Watch it here…

⚖️ Scale of the problem across Southeast Asia

🌏 Asia is overall the largest source of e-waste in the world, generating nearly 25 metric tons (nearly half the global total!) in 2019 (United Nations University, 2020). This is about ~37% higher than the figure in 2016 (United Nations University, 2017), which was already ~63% higher than 2010 (New Scientist, 2017) so the problem is unfortunately growing rather unabated.

♻️ Moreover, Asia overall has a low recycling rate, with <12% of e-waste recycled compared to Europe’s >40%. There is an massive underlying economic opportunity here, with roughly USD26.4 billion in valuable raw materials squandered (United Nations University, 2020). Check out the below infographic for an overview:

📊 Per capita e-waste tends to be positively correlated with per capita gross domestic product (GDP), so stacking a sample of Southeast Asian countries beside each other roughly mirrors the per capita GDP ranking as well…

💡 It shouldn’t be a surprise that Singapore boasts the highest per capita rate of e-waste generation given that it has by far the highest per capita GDP as well. Fortunately, Singapore is also part of the solution; ALBA, an e-waste recycling initiative that’s part of ALBA group has been collecting e-waste for the past couple of years and seen it’s volume grown from an average of 580KG per month to 1,200KG per month from 2021 to 2022 (Channel News Asia, 2023). This is certainly a step in the right direction but more Southeast Asian countries need such initiatives, so it’s great to see tech-focused publications recognize the need for more startups to operate in this space (Tech Collective, 2022).

😷 Beyond being a large source of GHG emissions, e-waste also has health consequences: tying back to our first issue on air pollution, e-waste was actually linked to air quality hazards stemming from a landfill fire in the Dangkor landfill outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia (DAI, 2021). Moreover, monks in Thailand reported falling ill due to e-waste incineration occurring near their temples (New York Times, 2019).

🚫 The trend of growing e-waste in Southeast Asia is related to China’s waste ban back in 2017; prior to China’s ban, they were handling around 70% of global e-waste but ever since the ban, that has meant that waste is instead sent to Southeast Asia (Journal of Material Cycles & Waste Management, 2020). Interestingly, China also banned the export of certain rare minerals, causing prices to increase and become unstable (Reuters, 2023). Interestingly, these two bans actually incentivizes the recycling of e-waste for valuable parts in Southeast Asia.

🔋 One particularly valuable subset of e-waste is battery recycling. Two years ago, the first battery recycling facility was opened in Singapore with a “daily capacity to recycle up to 14 tonnes or the equivalent of 280,000 lithium-ion smartphone batteries” (TES, 2021). Component metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel are growing in demand especially due to the EV boom.

📚 Want to learn more about this topic?

1. “Defusing Southeast Asia’s e-waste timebomb” from Eco-Business

2. “The Price of Recycling Old Laptops: Toxic Fumes in Thailand’s Lungs” from New York Times

3. “The Global E-Waste Monitor 2020” from United Nations University

📢 Shout-out to Dulang!

📱 Dulang is an Indonesia-based platform for used electronics that addresses the e-waste issue and promotes the circular economy in electronics.

♻️ They offer user-friendly and rewarding solutions for individuals to repair, sell, or responsibly dispose of their used electronics.

📧 If you or your business need help managing used electronics, please visit their website here. They are also happy to connect with potential investors or business partners. Please contact them at [email protected].

🗞️ Recent News

👍🏻 Good News

🚀 ZOLO, an e-waste recycling startup from Australia expands into the Philippines (BusinessWorld, 2 October 2023)

🔋 Green Li-ion and Petronas announce battery recycling partnership! Moreover, they are set to be the first battery grade cathode and anode producer in the US this year, with an upcoming 100 million series B in Q12024 (Green Li-ion, 25 September 2023)

🏭 Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources opens the first materials recovery facility for e-waste outside of the National Capital Region (Philippine News Agency, 25 September 2023)

💰 Gobi Partners invests in Malaysian e-waste recycling firm, ERTH (TechNode, 11 September 2023)

🧑🏻‍🏫 BMA & Google turn e-waste into new learning tools (Thai PBS World, 4 September 2023)

🤝 Japan, ASEAN partner to recover critical metals from e-waste (Nikkei, 5 August 2023)

♻️ Battery recycling firms to build new plants to cope with EV population growth (Straits Times, 30 July 2023)

💁🏻‍♂️ Jakarta Environment Office starts free electronic waste management services to residents (Tempo, 13 July 2023)

👎🏻 Bad News

🚮 E-Waste: Southeast Asia’s Growing Environmental Concern (KrASIA, 28 June 2023)

😔 Stakeholders discuss E-waste recycling challenges (Vietnam News, 15 June 2023)

🤢 Scientists confirm food chain contamination near e-waste processing facilities in Thailand (Eco-Business, 20 December 2022)

📢 Other Voices

🤑 Indonesia can earn USD14 billion from old mobile phones and other e-waste by 2040 by M Akbar Rhamdhani (The Conversation, 2 March 2021)

🚺 In Manila, the safe disposal of electronics helps women and their communities (Global Environment Facility)

🎙️ Interview with Rafa of E-wasteRJ

💡 Why were you initially inspired to tackle the e-waste issue?

🖥️ I developed a deep fascination for technology from a young age. Back when smartphones were taking over, I stumbled upon old Nokia phones in my mom's drawer. It struck me as odd that these devices, which were once cutting-edge, were now considered obsolete and discarded. This sparked my curiosity about the fate of our electronic waste. As I delved deeper into this issue, I discovered that e-waste poses significant environmental hazards. That realization was the starting point of my journey into addressing this problem.

🛠️ How exactly is EwasteRJ solving it?

♻️ EwasteRJ is actively contributing to the solution by making e-waste recycling more accessible and straightforward for everyone. Our primary goal is to eliminate the confusion that often surrounds the proper disposal of electronic waste. Through our initiatives, we provide clear avenues for individuals and businesses to responsibly recycle their electronics, ensuring that these devices don't end up harming our environment.

😲 What is a surprising fact about e-waste?

🧧 One astonishing fact about e-waste is its hidden value. Electronic waste contains an array of valuable minerals and materials, collectively worth billions of dollars. Think about it; if we could efficiently extract and recycle these resources, we would significantly reduce our dependence on raw materials from nature. This approach holds the potential to revolutionize our economy, shifting towards a sustainable circular model that minimizes environmental impact.

🎬 What actions can readers take now to support your cause?

💪🏻 Supporting our cause is easy and impactful…

📲 First, you can stay engaged by following our movement on Instagram. This helps spread awareness and educates others about the importance of e-waste recycling. By using hashtags like #DropYourEwaste and #RecycledEwaste, you not only contribute to our mission but also inspire others to do the same.

🧹 Second, you can take immediate action by clearing out your drawers, collecting your e-waste, and choosing to recycle through our program.

🦸🏻 What do you do when you’re not saving the world?

❤️‍🩹 When I'm not dedicating myself to the mission of tackling e-waste, I prioritize maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I'm passionate about sports, which keeps me physically active and provides a great way to unwind. Additionally, I enjoy exploring diverse cuisines and savoring good food. Lastly, ensuring I get enough rest and quality sleep is crucial for my overall well-being. These activities help me recharge and stay focused on our mission to make a positive impact on the world.

⏭️ Next week, we’ll be tackling off-grid energy, so it’ll be a great opportunity to recharge your (recycled) batteries ⚡

❓ Did you enjoy this week’s issue? If yes, please do forward to your friends who would enjoy the read as well. Also, feel free to let us know what you thought by giving us feedback at [email protected].

🌊 SEA you next week!

Karina & Massimiliano