Don't sweep the circular economy under the carpet

Nebula's Richard Eglon discusses the missed opportunity in tackling e-waste

When talking about sustainability, the hit BBC TV show Only Fools and Horses is definitely not the first thing that springs to most peoples' minds.

However, it turns out that one episode captured the essence of sustainability perfectly.

Centred around Trigger's Broom, the popular road sweeper was awarded a medal from the council for his efficiency in using the same broom for 20 years.

A conversation in the pub later heard him say: "Mind you, the broom has had 17 new heads and 14 new handles."

Trigger's Broom was a rework of Theseus' Paradox - which asks how often the component parts of an object can be replaced before it stops being the same object.

The real question is, does it really matter?

In an era when we are actively being encouraged to re-use, re-work and recycle as many objects as we can - particularly with IT equipment - this paradox could actually work in our industry's favour.

By replacing old and worn out parts with re-worked and recycled parts, extending the lifecycle of services, and getting behind the circular economy; channel customers can still buy top performing IT hardware that doesn't cost the earth (both financially and environmentally). It may not be brand new and shiny, but it can more than do the job it is intended to do, and then some.

There is no doubt that e-waste is having a detrimental impact on the planet. According to The World Counts, e-waste comprises 70 per cent of overall toxic waste, and only 12.5 per cent of e-waste is recycled. A whopping 85 per cent of e-waste is sent to landfill or is burned - either releasing harmful toxins into the air, or into our water supplies and soil.

The materials contained in e-waste, which includes a staggering seven percent of the world's gold reserves, are worth £50.9bn a year. That is money literally being thrown away. We talk about how we need to reduce single-use plastics; the same methodology needs to apply for single-use precious metals if we are to build a true circular economy.

When the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling (WEEE) regulations were transposed into UK law in 2006 and later became mandatory in 2014, they highlighted the challenges we face. Every year an estimated two million tonnes of WEEE items are discarded by households and companies in the UK, according to government figures. Gone are the days of ‘make-do-and-mend', so beloved by post-war generations.

Changing mindsets is the key to making a difference, and the partner ecosystem is critical in helping customers embrace the circular economy and understand that buying recycled IT kit does not mean a drop in quality, but quite the opposite. Our fascination with shiny new things needs to stop.

We are currently experiencing a challenging period in the IT industry with thousands of jobs being lost. Meanwhile, the circular economy represents a massive opportunity according to the World Economic Forum. Citing stats from market watcher Accenture, it claims the transition towards a circular economy is estimated to represent a $4.5tn global growth opportunity by 2030.

Global growth, job creation and helping to save the planet? The circular economy is definitely not something Trigger or any of us should be sweeping under the carpet.