1. 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

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. Business & Finance
The dependency on global commodity prices has to be interpreted as a relevant risk for the business’ profitability

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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 v
Batteries
ERM, “Battery Waste Management - Life Cycle Assessment,” UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), London, UK, 2006.

16. 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

17. 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

18. Thank you!
Dr. Mathias Schluep Empa Lerchenfeldstrasse St.Gallen
SWITZERLAND
Technology & Society Lab:
Swiss e-Wast Programme:
Swiss e-Waste Competence
GeSI & StEP E-waste Academy