Environmental Audit committee inquiry on electronic waste and the circular economy: follow-up
Summary of contents
Unsustainable resource use is driving the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and waste and pollution. Currently, we have a largely linear economy where resources are extracted with significant environmental and health impacts used in products and services, before being thrown away as waste. To use resources more sustainably, we need to move to a circular economy model. This is where resource efficiency is maximised, materials are kept circulating at as high a value as possible and waste and pollution are minimised. Currently, some estimates suggest that the UK’s material flows are only 7.5% circular. A circular economy will also help to address some of the supply of security concerns facing many of the materials (e.g. lithium, indium and rare earth elements) that are essential not only in the technologies that will help the UK transition to net zero, but also in a range of other sectors including security, healthcare and electronics.
The Royal Society of Chemistry welcomes the renewed focus that this special inquiry brings on addressing the complex challenge of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), an issue we have long been highlighting through our Precious Elements campaign. While the recent WEEE consultations outlined several proposals that we welcomed the intention behind, there remains a lack of clear overarching strategy that will enable a circular economy of materials in the UK. Our response highlights some of the reasons why material recovery from WEEE remains challenging.