Electronics Project
Lead Researchers: Cerys Ponting, Dr Hazel Nash, Frances Hines (Alumni) and Andrew Williams (Alumni)
Background
The global consumption of electrical and electronic products is rapidly increasing. Amongst other things, the pace of innovation and technological change in the industry means that manufacturers are able to offer greater functionality to users at either the same or reduced prices. This often means that, in order to keep pace with the latest technology and trends, consumers are motivated to purchase new products at regular, and ever shorter, intervals. In addition, steady increases in average disposable incomes across many developed and developing countries mean that electrical and electronic products become less of a ‘luxury’ than they were previously. Moreover, the continuing expansion of global logistics and distribution systems makes it easier for consumers to purchase these products.
This increase in the consumption of products has many benefits. For example, the broader availability of household appliances means that many people need to devote less time to labour intensive domestic work. Greater access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) helps to overcome the so called ‘digital divide.’ However, there are also a range of problems associated with this rising tide of product usage. In particular, the increase in consumption is inevitably accompanied by an increase in the amount of waste generated when products reach the end of their life. Depending on the way in which the waste is managed, this can result in any one of an array of economic, social and environmental implications. For instance, when e-waste is disposed of at landfill sites, apart from putting pressure on available capacity, there is a risk that hazardous materials contained in used products might leach into surrounding groundwater and land. Landfill disposal also means that potentially useful resources contained in e-waste are lost from the materials cycle.
Recycling or reuse offers a potential solution to many of the problems associated with the management of e-waste. However, if inappropriately managed, it can also contribute to a range of negative consequences. For example, unless recycling activities are carried out to acceptable standards, workers can be exposed to the hazardous materials contained in e-waste. These materials, including Lead, Mercury and Cadmium have a range of potentially damaging effects on human health.
Other problems associated with the growth in e-waste include the export of wastes from industrialised to economically less developed countries, the use of disadvantaged labour groups within the e-waste reprocessing or recycling industry, the impacts of the distribution of products for reuse and the economic effects of spatial and industry change at a national, regional and local level.
Aims and Objectives
• To identify key sustainability challenges facing the electronics industry at present and in future scenarios;
• To develop an understanding of the variety of strategies adopted by stakeholders in response to these challenges;
• To identify how these strategies differ within and between stakeholder groups, and from place to place;
• To understand the implications of these different approaches in terms of the sustainability performance of the industry and their chosen business models;
• To identify the key factors that influence this difference;
• To investigate the role of electronics in progressing towards more sustainable production and consumption
• To investigate how knowledge of these influencing factors can be used to facilitate learning between stakeholder groups and across geographical boundaries.
Methodology
The research methodology of the electronics project combined a variety of techniques to reflect the needs of different research activities. It included desktop research and analysis (the internet, academic journals, trade press etc), semi-structured interviews (face to face and telephone), ongoing consultation with stakeholders and businesses, engagement with a number of initiatives and programmes concerning the sector, and an in company placement.
As an example, fieldwork in the USA investigating the e-waste issue targeted a range of stakeholders relating to defined framework conditions, as identified as part of the theoretical development of the research. These stakeholders included representatives with responsibility for e-waste management at each level of governance, including federal, state and local levels, and a range of associated regulatory agencies, together with a variety of industry and NGO stakeholders, and the research aimed to gain their views on a wide variety of topics relating to emergent problems and responses facing the electronics sector. Fieldwork in the US focused on three states; California, Oregon and Massachusetts, as these represented some of the different types of responses apparent. It became apparent, however, that the majority of the findings would be applicable to the US as a whole.
Outputs
Ponting, C., Green Series eReference Encyclopaedias (Sage - Editor: Robbins, P.). Entries for: Sustainable Consumption, Take Back and Remanufacturing
Nash, H., Ponting, C., Part B: BRASS Working Paper Series 2010
Nash, H., Ponting, C (2010) Part A: A business perspective on the transposition of the WEEE Directive into UK law. BRASS Working Paper Series (no 56)
Ponting, C. and Nash, H. A. (2009). An examination of the practical implementation of WEEE obligations in the UK. In: Sustainability through Resource Conservation and Recycling Cape Town, South Africa, April 4 - 5 2009.
Nash, H., Ponting, C (2009) Under-estimating the importance of consumer behaviour: the UK WEEE obligations. Conference paper presented at: Joint Actions on Climate Change (Aalborg, Denmark) http://www.jaocc.net/
Nash, H., Ponting, C.- BRASS Consultation Response to UK Government consultation on European Commission proposals to recast the EC Directives on WEEE and RoHS 22/05/2009
Ponting, C. ‘Waste Electronics – Where will your mobile go?’ World Challenge Day, Education Business Partnership, Mid Glamorgan, December 2008
Ponting, C., ‘Will We All Subscribe To A Second Life?’ BRASS Magazine, Issue 2
Hines, F., Ponting, C. and Williams, A. (2007) WEEE and RoHS Implementation and Impact UK Survey - RoHS Interim report on Survey Findings, BRASS
Hines, F., Ponting, C.. and Williams, A. (2007) WEEE and RoHS Implementation and Impact
UK Survey- WEEE Interim report on Survey Findings, BRASS
Ponting, C., ‘Electronics Industry: What do WEEE really want?’ BRASS Magazine, Issue 1
Ponting, C. Hines, F. and Williams, A. (2006) An Electronic Nightmare? - How the UK Government has failed industry in managing the implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directives. Paper presented at the WARMNET Tackling Waste Conference 2006, 6th-7th July, The University of Nottingham.
Williams, A. (2005) The Effect of Strategic Management Options on the Implementation of
Product Service Systems (Helsinki Conference)
Darby, L. & Obara, L. (2004) Household recycling and attitudes towards the disposal of small electrical and electronic equipment. Resources, Conservation and Recycling.
Darby, L., Hines, F. & Williams, A. (2004) Managing Waste Electronics in the USA: A Preliminary Analysis. BRASS June
Darby, L., Hines, F. & Williams, (2004) A. Evaluating the sustainability impacts of emerging regulations in the electronics industry: a comparison of US and European approaches. Paper presented at the Joint International Congress and Exhibition "Electronics Goes Green 2004+" Conference, 6th-8th September, Berlin
Williams, A. (2004) Governance and sustainability: an investigation of the role of policy mediators in the European Union policy process. Policy & Politics 32(1) pp.95-110
Darby, L (2003) Evaluating the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive – Focusing on the potential for non-implementation by certain product groups. MSc Dissertation, Cardiff University, December 2003.
Darby, L. & Hines, F. (2003) Big net, little fish: the potential implementation deficit of the European Directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Paper presented at the GIN conference, October 2003.
Darby, L., Lee, R. & Williams, A. (2003) The Implementation of the Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive in Northern Ireland. (Paper presented as part of ongoing work for the NI government)
Williams, A.(2003) Trade and sustainability: promoting closer co-operation between the trade and environment regimes. Working Paper series, 19. Cardiff: BRASS Centre. ISBN 1 904393 42 X Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment on the transposition of Article 6 and associated Annexes of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (
