Where Electronic Waste Goes to Die

As we’ve noted, the issue of electronic waste is again rising up the environmental agenda, and perhaps it is time to ask whether the IT industry really deserves the high reputation for responsibility that we’ve observed it has among consumers around the world. Canadian broadcaster CBC has featured in their program “The National” (E-waste Dumping Ground) the dubious trade in highly toxic materials extracted from recycled electronic equipment, much of which originates from North America.

According to the CBC, lax laws governing the trade in hazardous e-waste in Canada and the US are partly to blame. Despite a UN agreement banning the practice of shipping it from rich to poor countries, some campaign groups claim that as much as 80 percent of used electronic equipment in North America collected for recycling is shipped to the developing world – often to China – with some of the rest processed in US prisons, where oversight and regulations are often lacking.

In the absence of legislation, it appears that few recycling firms find it economical to invest in the advanced technology or labour required to process e-waste responsibly in the West, while in developing countries, enforcement of worker protection or environmental regulations is often poor or non-existent. The impact on developing countries of this failure to act responsibly in terms of worker exposure to toxins when disposing of electronic chips, or water pollution resulting from the stripping of parts in acid, is sobering.

Arguably, the manufacturers are not the chief culprits here. Nevertheless, it is difficult to see how they can entirely wash their hands of responsibility for what happens to the components in their hardware when the industry’s business models depend on consumers being persuaded to upgrade or replace hardware every eighteen months or less. Nokia wins plaudits from Greenpeace’s ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’ “for leading competitors on toxic phase out” and for its voluntary take-back program. It will be good to see others follow their example.