E-waste & Recyclable Electronics

Recyclable

According to the United Nation’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020, global e-waste will reach 74 million tonnes by 2030. E-waste has come to be the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Many products have become less repairable by design, in accordance for companies’ desire for planned obsolescence. Consumers want to recycle and have the right to repair their products without being overcharged for it by manufacturers. They have been equipping themselves with the skills and learning from others (‘Repair Cafés’).

At Duke University, engineers have developed the first fully recyclable, printed electronic – a transistor. Transistors can amplify or switch electronic signals, and are found in microchips. These can be used in watches, computers and camera parts, pacemakers, hearing aids, spacecrafts, and more. The recyclable transistor uses insulating cellulose instead of silicone, and is printed on carbon-based components. As the nanocellulose is made from wood, it can be recycled with the paper it would be printed on.

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Render of the fully recyclable, printed transistor

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Why this matters

The scale of problems is important to look at for companies that are in the process of sustainability. E-waste being the largest waste group, this is important to address and prioritize.

Garbage

Vollebak, a British sportswear brand known for material innovation and durability, is producing a watch from scrapped and recycled e-waste. The “Garbage Watch”, expected to release later this year, follows a similar design to a motherboard that would be found in a PC. Vollebak addresses the unsustainable approach to the electronics supply chain, and how we use the raw materials from the Earth only to throw them out as we please.

Prototype of the Vollebak watch