Polytechnic University of the
Philippines
Pulilan Campus
ELECTRONICS
Development Economics
BUILT ENVIRONMENT 4 Vital Sectors in Circular
Economy
INTRODUCTION
A record 53.6 million metric tons (Mt) of electronic
waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21%
in just five years. It is predicted that global e-
waste – discarded products with a battery or plug
– will reach 74 Mt by 2030, almost a doubling of e-
waste in just 16 years.
This makes e-waste the world’s fastest-growing
domestic waste stream. Only 17.4% of 2019’s e-
waste was collected and recycled.
Electronics
1. Temperature exchange
equipment:
more commonly referred to as cooling
and freezing equipment. Typical E-waste systems and schemes do not
equipment includes refrigerators,
yet cover any kind of batteries,
freezers. air conditioners, and heat
pumps.
accumula- tors, or electrical
components of vehicles.
Currently, this categorization is
2. Screens and monitors:
compliant with both the WEEE directive
typical equipment includes televisions,
adopted by European member states
monitors, laptops, notebooks
(European Paliament 2003) and the
internationally recognised framework
for e-waste statistics described in the
aforementioned Guidelines (Forti,
3. Lamps:
typical equipment includes fluorescent Baldé, and Kuehr 2018) that are used in
lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, this report.
and LED lamps.
4. Large equipment:
typical equipment includes washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashing machines, electric
stoves, large printing machines, copying equipment, and photovoltaic panels.
5. Small equipment:
typical equipment includes vacuum cleaners, microwaves. ventilation equipment,
toasters, electric kettles, electric shavers, scales, calculators, radio sets, video
cameras, electrical and electronic toys, small electrical and electronic tools, small
medical devices, small monitoring, and control instruments.
6. Small IT and Telecommunication equipment:
typical equipment includes mobile phones, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, pocket
calculators. routers, personal computers, printers, and telephones.
ENGAGE WITH
SUPPORT GLOBAL
GOVERNMENTS IN PRODUCERS AND
THE EMERGING LOCAL
ECONOMIES PRODUCERS IN
COUNTRIES
KEY INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THE CIRCULARITY OF THE ELECTRONICS SECTOR
ORGANIZE NATIONAL,
REGIONAL AND
DESIGN AND
INTERNATIONAL
PLAN CAMPAIGNS
DIALOGUES WITH
AND
LEADERS,
COMMUNICATION INNOVATORS,
WITH FORERUNNERS
CONSUMERS
Support governments in
Engage with global producers
the emerging economies to
and local producers in
introduce and implement
countries, to promote eco-design,
legislation on circular second-hand markets, repair,
economy, value retention and refurbishment and
Extended Producer remanufacturing, sustainable
Responsibility, in the area of service system and innovative
defining policy priorities, target business models; as well as
settings, stakeholder developing Producer Responsibility
engagement, and establishing Organizations to take back and
sustainable financing treat end-of-life electronics with
mechanism. financing in place.
KEY INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THE CIRCULARITY OF THE ELECTRONICS SECTOR
KEY INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THE CIRCULARITY OF THE ELECTRONICS SECTOR
Design and plan campaigns
and communication with Organize national, regional
consumers, to raise and international dialogues
awareness on product lifespan with leaders, innovators,
and right to repair, as well as forerunners to share best
encourage them to extend the practices and success case to
product lifetime shifting disseminate the concrete
towards a more sustainable examples on implementing
lifestyle and behavior in terms
circular economy for the sector.
of consumption and waste
disposal.
GLOBAL E-WASTE MONITOR 2020
The Global E-waste Monitor is a collaborative effort between the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Sustainable
Cycles (SCYCLE) Program currently co-hosted by the United
Nations University (UNU) and the United Nations Institute for
Training and Research (UNITAR), and the International Solid Waste
Association (ISWA).
More and more people are joining the global information society
and digital economy, and are benefiting from the opportunities
they offer. In parallel, higher levels of disposable incomes,
urbanization, and industrialization in many developing countries
are leading to growing amounts of electrical and electronic
equipment (EEE) and, consequently, to greater amounts of e-
waste.
ewastemonitor.info
E-WASTE POLICY
AND REGULATION
• Overall, 81 countries (42 per cent of all countries
worldwide) have e-waste policy, legislation, or regulation
in force. However, according to June 2023 data, the
growth rate of countries implementing e-waste policy,
legislation, or regulations is decelerating, and most ITU
Member States still have no legal instrument in place
governing e-waste management.
• To assist Member States in balancing their economic and
social development with environmental management, ITU
provides a program dedicated to e-waste policy and
regulatory development.
Electronics
1. The report shows that the way
we produce, consume and dispose
of our electrical and electronic
equipment (EEE), such as mobile
phones and computers, has
become unsustainable.
2. In 2019, an estimated 53.6
million metric tons (Mt) of e-
waste was generated globally,
equivalent to 7.3 kg per capita.
3. The report reveals that global e-
waste generation grew by 9.2 Mt
since 2014, fueled by higher EEE
consumption rates, shorter lifecycles
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM
and limited repair options.
THE GLOBAL E-WASTE
MONITOR 2020
4. Only 17.4% (9.3 Mt) of this
e-waste generated was
officially documented to be
formally collected and
recycled.
5. The formal collection and
recycling rate has grown by 1.8 Mt
since 2014, an annual growth of
about 0.4 Mt. This suggests that
current collection and recycling
are not keeping pace with global
e-waste growth.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM
THE GLOBAL E-WASTE
MONITOR 2020
6. This also means that there is
uncertainty over the fate of the
other 82.6% (44.3 Mt) of
generated e-waste, which if
handled under substandard
conditions, will harm the
environment.
7. This also means that there is
uncertainty over the fate of the
other 82.6% (44.3 Mt) of
generated e-waste, which if
handled under substandard
conditions, will harm the
environment.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM
THE GLOBAL E-WASTE
MONITOR 2020
6 EEE PRODUCT CATEGORIES
WHAT IS EEE AND WEE?
TEMPERATURE EXCHANGE
EQUIPMENT
Electrical and electronic equipment
LARGE EQUIPMENT (EEE), also called waste electrical and
electronic equipment (WEEE), includes a
wide range of products with circuity or
SCREENS AND MONITORS electrical components with a power or
battery supply.
Most households and business use EEE
SMALL EQUIPMENT
products, such as mobile phones and
laptops but EEE covers a much wider
variety of products, especially in the
expanding sector Internet of Things
LAMPS
(IoT). For statistics, the products need to
be classified by similar function,
SMALL IT AND material composition, average weight
TELECOMMUNICATION and end-of-life attributes.?
EQUIPMENT
6 EEE PRODUCT CATEGORIES
WHAT IS EEE AND WEE?
TEMPERATURE EXCHANGE
EQUIPMENT
LARGE EQUIPMENT Since 2014, the report showed an
increase in terms of total weight of
generated e-waste from Temperature
SCREENS AND MONITORS Exchange Equipment (+7%), Large
Equipment (+5%), Lamps (+4%) and
Small Equipment (+4%). Small IT and
SMALL EQUIPMENT
Telecommunication Equipment has
been growing at a slower rate (+2%),
whilst Screens and Monitors have
shown a slight decrease (-1%) but
LAMPS
likely a result of design changes as
lighter flat panel displays have
SMALL IT AND
become more common in recent
TELECOMMUNICATION
EQUIPMENT years.
HOW DOES E-WASTE CONTRIBUTE TO THE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)
Increasing e-waste levels,
improper and unsafe treatment,
and disposal through landfill or
incineration will impact the
environment, human health and
achievement of the SDGs.
E-waste management relates
closely to many SDGs but
especially 11 and 12.
Electronics
The buildings and construction sector is a major driver of our
economy, wellbeing, and the global environmental impacts,
representing 11%-13% of Global GDP, and accounting for around
37% of energy-related CO2 emissions and nearly 50% of global
material extraction.
These trends are expected to intensify as an estimated 50% of the
buildings that will exist by 2050 have not been built yet. It
presents both a challenge and an opportunity to rethink what type
of construction is built and where, how much is being built, and
how they are built.
PLAST TEXTI ELECTRO BUILT
ICS LES NICS
ENVIRONMEN
UNEP advocates for a shift towards a circular economy in the built
environment to build less and better, where resources are used
efficiently, waste and pollution is eliminated, and the value of
materials is retained across the entire building lifecycle (at their
highest value), while allowing for nature regeneration.
The GlobalABC Materials Hub, in partnership with the One Planet
Networkand the Life Cycle Initiative, leads UNEP’s efforts to
advance circularity in the buildings and construction sector
through its Circular Built Environment Working Group, one of the
three core components of the hub.
PLAST TEXTI ELECTRO BUILT
ICS LES NICS
ENVIRONMEN
• The Circular Built Environment working group (CBE) aims to promote awareness, capacity
building, and development in the circular built environment to combat climate change,
biodiversity loss, and resource depletion, while fostering inclusive employment and boosting
local economies. CBE focuses on three key thematic areas:
• Efficient Use of Existing Buildings: Extending the operational life of existing buildings
through retrofitting, adaptive reuse, and flexible use of vacant spaces to avoid new
construction.
• Reuse and Recycling of Building Materials: Promoting the reuse of building parts and
recycling of materials, as well as the incorporation of industrial by-products, to minimize the
need for virgin resources.
• Promotion of Long Service Life in New Construction: Supporting material efficiency and life
cycle thinking in new construction projects to ensure that buildings are designed for
longevity and minimal environmental impact.
10 WHOLE LIFE CYCLE
RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations aim to:
FOR THE BUILDINGS • Show how Whole Life Cycle considerations
underpin the Buildings Breakthrough Key
BREAKTHROUGH Priority Actions, and
• Provide guidance to policy makers to implement
the Buildings Breakthrough commitments
nationally and locally.
The “10 Whole Life Cycle
Recommendations for the Buildings
Breakthrough” are a list of consensus
driven recommendations developed
through extensive stakeholder
engagement led by the Materials Hub
(supported by the GlobalABC, One
Planet Network and Life Cycle Initiative
and its two parallel working groups
Whole Life Cycle Policy Coalition
RECOMMENDATION 1: DEFINITION OF NEAR
ZERO EMISSIONS AND RESILIENT BUILDINGS:
• Harmonizing the definitions for
near-zero emissions and resilient
buildings
• Accurate measurement of
emissions
• Resilience to climate
RECOMMENDATION change OF NEAR
1: DEFINITION
ZERO EMISSIONS AND RESILIENT BUILDINGS:
• Consistency in assessing Whole Life
Carbon
• Shared principles and international
standards
• Harmonization of Methodologies and Tools
RECOMMENDATION 3:ACCESSIBLE AND HIGH-
QUALITY DATA
• High quality data
• The development of consistent data
standards
• Open-source life cycle data
initiatives
RECOMMENDATION 4: BENCHMARKS FOR
BUILDING EMISSIONS
• Developing context-based voluntary
benchmarks
• Collaboration between countries
• Representative and reliable data
RECOMMENDATION 5: INTEROPERABLE PRODUCT
STANDARDS
• Material neutrality and
comparability
• Product containing reuse or
recycled materials
• Certification
RECOMMENDATION 6: COMMON LANGUAGE AND
DIVERSE CONTEXT
• Common Understanding
• Developing understanding
RECOMMENDATION 7: DRIVE INVESTMENT
• Promoting international
collaboration
• Evaluation tools
• Evaluating informal construction
RECOMMENDATION 8: PRIORITIZE RETROFITTING
• Develop policy and guidelines
• Strengthened Data
• Economic incentives
RECOMMENDATION 9: MATERIAL CIRCULARITY
• Data transparency and accessibility
• Standards, regulations and policies
• Developing market instruments
RECOMMENDATION 10: DESIGN FOR
CIRCULARITY
• Design and Planning
• Data underpinning monitoring
and evaluation
