Matthias Kern Secretariat of the Basel Convention United Nations Environment Programme

Session 5:

How to turn an E-Waste Challenge into an Opportunity:

Guidance Developed under the Basel Convention

ITU Workshop on Moving to a Green Economy through ICT Standards, 6-8 September 2011, Rome, Italy

Matthias KernSecretariat of the Basel Convention

United Nations Environment Programme

A rapidly growing problem:

The volume of obsolete PCs generated in developing regions will exceed that of developed regions by 2016-2018.

By 2030, the obsolete PCs from developing regions will reach 400-700 million units, far more than from developed regions at 200-300 million units.

Yu et al., 2010

3

0

20,000,000

40,000,000

60,000,000

80,000,000

100,000,000

120,000,000

140,000,000

2000 2008 2010 2014

USA

N.America

W.Europe

E.Europe

Asia

South/Central America

Middle East/Africa

Personal Computer (PC) Sales by RegionsPersonal Computer (PC) Sales by Regions

Topics:

• Basel Convention at a glance

• Guidance on the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life mobile phones and computing equipment

• Experience from some pilot projects

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous

Wastes and their Disposal

- Adopted on 22 March 1989

- Entered into force on 5 May 1992

- 176 Parties to the Convention as at August 2011

- - E-waste is listed in Annex VIII as A1180 (hazardous waste) and Annex IX as B1110 (waste containing materials with hazardous characteristics)

The Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, 8th Meeting, Nairobi 2006:

Decision VIII/2: …- Recommended that Parties phase out technologies

which are not environmentally sound and that they promote the development and introduction of innovative, safe and sound technologies for the treatment, recycling or recovery of e-waste …

…

Topics:

• Basel Convention at a glance

• Guidance on the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life mobile phones and computing equipment

• Experience from some pilot projects

Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI)

• The Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI) was launched The Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI) was launched in 2002, during the sixth meeting of the Conference of the in 2002, during the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention.Parties to the Basel Convention.

• 12 manufacturers entered into a partnership on mobile phones, 12 manufacturers entered into a partnership on mobile phones, with the Basel Convention Parties and in cooperation with other with the Basel Convention Parties and in cooperation with other stakeholders.stakeholders.

• MPPI developed guidelines and promoted the different stages MPPI developed guidelines and promoted the different stages for environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life for environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life mobile phones.mobile phones.

8

1984

5kg1985

770g

1989

349g

2001

75g

Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI)

MPPI MPPI products that have been developed:

• Guideline on Guideline on - Refurbishment of Used Mobile Phones - Refurbishment of Used Mobile Phones - Collection of Used Mobile Phones - Collection of Used Mobile Phones - Material Recovery and Recycling of End-of-Life Mobile Phones - Material Recovery and Recycling of End-of-Life Mobile Phones - Awareness Raising-Design Considerations - Awareness Raising-Design Considerations - Transboundary Movement of Collected Mobile Phones - Transboundary Movement of Collected Mobile Phones

• Glossary of TermsGlossary of Terms

• Guidance Document on the environmentally sound management of Guidance Document on the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life mobile phonesused and end-of-life mobile phones

Available on the MPPI website: Available on the MPPI website: http://www.basel.int/industry/mppi.html

9

Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE)

• PACE was launched by the 9th meeting of the Conference of the PACE was launched by the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, which took place in Bali, Indonesia in Parties to the Basel Convention, which took place in Bali, Indonesia in June 2008. June 2008.

• PACE is a multi-stakeholder partnership under the umbrella of the PACE is a multi-stakeholder partnership under the umbrella of the Basel Convention that provides a forum for representatives ofBasel Convention that provides a forum for representatives of

- personal computer manufacturers, - personal computer manufacturers, - recyclers, - recyclers, - international organizations, - international organizations, - academia, - academia, - environmental groups, and - environmental groups, and - governments- governments

to tackle the environmentally sound management (ESM), to tackle the environmentally sound management (ESM), refurbishment, recycling and disposal of used and end-of-life refurbishment, recycling and disposal of used and end-of-life computing equipment. computing equipment.

10

Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE)

PACE products that have been developed:

- Two draft guidelines:1. Environmentally sound testing, repair and refurbishment; and2. Environmentally sound material recovery and recycling

- ESM criteria recommendations

- Guidance on Procedures for Transboundary Movement of Computing Equipment.

- Glossary of Terms for PACE.

- Overall Guidance Document on Environmentally Sound Management of Used and End-of-Life Computing Equipment

Available on website: http://www.basel.int/industry/compartnership/documents.html

Material content and value of an average desktop

PC 2007 resource prices:   Amount contained in

desktop PC[g/unit]

Material value 2007[US$/unit]

Steel 6737.5 1.70

Plastics 1579.5 0.49

Aluminium 550.2 1.49

Copper 413.2 2.99

Zinc 25.9 0.09

Antimony 18.5 0.11

Nickel 12.7 0.47

Lead 6.5 0.02

Silver 1.7 0.94

Gold 0.3 5.82

Palladium 0.1 1.38

Topics:

• Basel Convention at a glance

• Guidance on the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life mobile phones and computing equipment

• Experience from some pilot projects

E-waste Africa programme

• Timeframe: November 2008 to March 2012

• Goals:

- Enhance environmental governance for e-waste in selected African countries

- Build capacity to monitor and control e-waste imports coming from the developed world, including Europe

- Provide economic opportunities

Seaborne import of data processing equipment in tonnes 2005 – 2009 (EUROSTAT)

Socio-economic impacts in Lagos, Nigeria

Environmentally sound management of electric and electronic waste in Asia-Pacific

• Launched in November 2005

• Goal:

- Prevention and minimization of e-waste generation,

- ESM of e-waste by promoting best practices and sound recycling technologies, and

- illegal traffic prevention through capacity building and strengthening of national enforcement structures

Strategic Approach

• Assessment of the situation – National inventories, – Mechanisms for information exchange, national and

regional levels, – Monitoring of the impacts on human health and the

environment.• Prevention and minimization of e-waste

– Goals, intermediate and long-term, to reduce the quantity of e-waste in landfills.

• Introduction of cleaner production approaches – Minimize,– Eliminate hazardous substances in EEE ~ their

wastes.

• Environmentally Sound Management– Best practices, – Sound recycling technologies national specificities,

including the development of appropriate methods for evaluation, testing, characterizing and classifying e-waste.

• Promotion of information and training – Regional information collection and dissemination

clearing house, – Training curricula for trainers.

Thank you !

UNEP Secretariat of the Basel Convention

15, Chemin des Anemones

CH-1219 Chatelaine, Geneva

Phone: +41 22 917 8218

Fax: +41 22 797 34 54

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.basel.int