An E-Waste Lifecycle
From EEE to WEEE: A Product Journey
The E-Waste Lifecycle of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
Let’s explore this journey using a common example: a cellphone, perhaps the device you are using to access this website!
What's In Your Hand?
Examine your mobile phone. It’s more than just glass and plastic; it’s a marvel of modern engineering, containing copper, gold, silver, and rare earth metals. This section sets the stage for understanding the complexity and value of the materials inside electronic devices, which are a crucial part of the e-waste lifecycle.
From Design to Manufacturing
Engineers and designers work to create sleek, powerful devices that meet consumer needs. This complex process involves global collaboration to source various components from different countries. Your phone starts its journey at the mine, where essential minerals and metals are extracted. Remember, if it can’t be grown, it must be mined and processed—this is the inception of your phone.
The Consumer Phase
Once manufactured, phones are distributed worldwide to retailers and online stores. This is where you enter the story. You browse through various options, compare features, and select the ideal phone that meets your needs. Whether your phone is bought cash, on credit, on a contract that you renew every two to three years, or it’s a gift, it quickly becomes essential to your daily life.
Designed for the Dump
You are now said to own this item, however – how much ownership do you have over it? Proper maintenance can extend its life, but inevitably, all phones lose their value getting technically outdated or breaking down physically—and some prematurely even due to manufacturers’ design choices in an attempt to get you in ever faster circles of disposing and buying their new equipment.
This practice, known as ‘design for the dump,’ involves deliberately creating products that fail early to boost sales of replacements, a strategy not only seen in electronics but across various industries. Click here to learn more!
Such tactics, which contribute to perceived obsolescence, are largely beyond individual control. The product’s lifespan is influenced by individual usage and care, but also the choices made at the very beginning of the design and manufacture process. You can only repair your phone if the phone is designed to be easily repairable.
End of the Line
As technology evolves, you may upgrade to a newer model, ending your phone’s primary lifecycle with you. Yet, its journey can continue. Many donate or sell their old phones, prolonging their use and reducing waste. If unusable, responsible disposal is key. Recycling centres can reclaim valuable materials like gold, silver, and copper, lessening the need for new mining. Still, it’s estimated that a quarter of all WEEE is improperly discarded, ending up burnt or in landfills.
From design to disposal, each phase of a phone’s e-waste lifecycle has an environmental impact. By making informed choices in how we manage our electronics, we can reduce this impact and foster a more sustainable future.
