Circular Economy Opportunities for Digital Products

Circular Economy opportunities for Digital Products

Author
European Environmental Bureau
Rreuse
Zero Waste Europe
iFixit Europe
ECOS
Publication Date
June, 2017
Country
EU
Language for original content
Scope

The joint policy paper by Zero Waste EuropeECOSEEBIFIXIT and Rreuse complements Digital Europe’s publication “The Contribution of the Digital Industry in a Circular Economy” with additional perspectives, and challenges the digital industry’s conclusions with regard to policy options.

These include an observation that the 28,000 tonnes of Category 3 IT equipment being shipped for repair or reuse annually in Europe represent only 2.2% of ICT products placed on the market, and 4.5% of the e-waste collected.

The strategies being applied to ensure longevity in the digital industry are also insufficiently comprehensive. In practice the lifetime of many IT products is linked to that of the battery.