Unstructure

India is the software factory of the world and is the growth engine for hardware providers. Total PC shipments to India during 2007-08 (April-March) were beyond the 8.25 million mark, recording a year on year growth of 22.3 per cent (Source: Mait India). The booming PC market is also leading to a boom in the the total e-waste generation of 330,000 tonnes per year as per the study conducted by IMRB, Mait & GTZ. In addition India is also receiving large amounts of e-waste through trade and illegal imports.

Of the total e-waste, a study found, only about 43.2% finds its way into recycling. An additional 50,000 tonnes is estimated to be illegally imported. Most of this is refurbished and resold, leaving about 19,000 tonnes, representing 5.7% of the total waste, which is processed in the country. (Source: IMRB, Mait & GTZ.)

Most developing countries face similar issues….

Does the solution lie in Recycling, Consumer awareness or Redesign? All these possible solutions only address one of the many issues and collectively fail to highlight something important. IT organizations need to sell information and not stuff!

In addition a unidimensional view that just looks at supply chain or just looks at consumer awareness is not the answer. Instead a circular economy view is required to genuinely create a sustainable environment.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool in tracking all material and energy flows through the entire system. When combined with a Circular Economy perspective it builds true sustainability. The concept of a regenerative or circular economy focuses on the aspects of Zero Waste, Renewable energy and accountability for all materials flowing through the system.

Peter Senge in the Fifth Discipline Workbook defines the Circular Economy as a system which puts natural and man-made systems into interlocking spirals of self supporting growth. To actually implement this a methodology called systems thinking is invoked which looks at  “elements that ‘hang together’ because they continually affect each other over time and operate toward a common purpose”. It is a strategy for a broader view of prosperity and well-being to be pursued in the present. Understanding how systems work and the importance of how they are designed to preventing later problems is key to success.

This approach is particularly interesting as it highlights the most significant challenge that everyone is facing – the one of scarcity of earth resources. We all know that there is only a finite amount of minerals and metals etc that the earth has, a constant trajectory of growth will lead to us hitting the natural boundaries in one area or the other.

If the ICT industry were to focus on its core strengths under the ambit of the Circular Economy flows not only the companies and the consumers but the world at large would benefit. What would be required is genuine Service Innovation to make this a reality. So, is this a pipe dream? A radical way of thinking that hits hard at the very fundamentals of economic growth and Keynesian theory? Perhaps….

However, i know that while it will take time to change the world and the way our industry is structured, we can take small steps to cope with the current challenge of e-waste.

I.Design

a.Design for long term reuse and recycling

b.Reduce hazardous components

c.Build energy efficiency into products

II.Recycle and Reuse

a.Implement mandatory take back policies

b.Increase customer awareness of disposal of hazardous waste

c. Educate IT managers on

i. Measuring power consumption, increasing cooling efficiency

ii. Consuming fewer servers and printers by increasing utilization iii. Extend the life of assets by reusing within the enterprise

iv. Long term service agreements with suppliers

v. Correct disposition of all electronic equipment

II.Business Model

a. Re-think the business model so that the industry focuses on the

customer need for quicker and faster information rather than the need to

offload stuff that has little or no improvements

b.Build systems thinking into the business so that it accounts for all

components of the eco – system that go into building products.

c. Service Innovations that incentivize reuse and recycling

IV.Regulate

a. Ensure that there is strong government legislation that incentivizes and monitors the above changes.

b. Mandatory disclosure policies for companies that sell and that use technology products.

What can developing countries do?

While all the above need to necessarily be done for a long term solution, India and other developing countries need an immediate way of coping with e-waste as well as a long term strategy to ensure that we are no longer playing catch up with a massive inflow of waste. The Strategy also needs to look at a multi-dimensional view of the socio – economic environment, regulatory challenges and the need for balanced growth. I believe that we should focus on a 3 step strategic framework.

Step 1

Develop a business model that focuses on social good and economic value to resolve the e-waste problem

Step 2

Develop a set of implementable laws that ensure compliance to ROHS and Basle agreements.

Step 3

Undertake a mass awareness campaign

While steps 2 and 3 are necessary, they only play an enabling role to Step 1 – which is the formation of a business framework to resolve e-waste and improve the Quality of Life.