Unstructure

To solve the ewaste crisis in a developing country like India we need a multilayered approach that looks at the following:

1. Strengthening the regulatory framework

2. Increasing consumer awareness

3. Developing solutions that focus on an approach of aggregation of existing products.

- Affordability must be key as an expensive solution will not be viable in the light of the economic crisis.

- The solution would need to focus on current and potential customers who would impact current demand and future reuse

- The solution would also need to be economically sustainable.

The strategic framework should also focuses on solutions that take into account all stakeholders.

Involve the Manufacturers - manufacturing companies who import hardware into India need to be involved. While most of them have Green practices world over the India based implementation leaves much to be desired. In addition they are handicapped by poor laws, high cost of e-waste disposal and absence of consumer awareness.

Involve the Consumers - who actually buy the hardware for personal and corporate use. In addition, also look at the potential demand for recycled IT products from the Indian consumers who lie at the bottom of the pyramid.

Involve Entrepreneurs – The solution needs to be mass market and scalable and needs to be driven not by government but by small entrepreneurs who see a commercial motivation to own, deploy and grow the solution

BOP – The solution could be used to tap the potential at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). The Indian economy has been growing at a steady rate of 8.5-9% over last five years. With the average growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 5.8% during the first decade of reforms (1992 -2001), India is among the 10 fastest growing economies in the world (CMIE). But these trends, however positive, are accompanied by a paradox – the ever-looming spectre of the other India of urban poverty and rural inequities, a reality which refuses to go away. A shocking 30-35 % of India’s total population still lives below the poverty line. This is accompanied by low health and nutrition levels, high infant mortality and illiteracy in both urban and rural areas.

Technology can play an important role in transforming India. While one can argue that what the poor need is food, water and electricity more than technology, it is also true that computers and the internet can break barriers of geography which have existed since time immemorial. For India’s poor, computers are not going to be an alternative, they are perhaps the only instrument for progress and growth, a passport to a  better life. (Ref: Transforming Rural India, Rajesh Jain)

The Framework

A simple framework could be to

1. Develop a central repository of all IT technology products available for reuse and recycling. This could function through a transparent web based network that can be accessed by all stakeholders.

2. Train people to collect, refurbish and recycle products.

3. Provide products to the needy. These products can be used to put more power and responsibility in the hands of the local communities by providing them with the right technologies and information needed to make decisions.

- Increase in literacy

- E-services for government interactions

- Computer-enabled education for children

- Programs to upgrade skill sets

- Help in village planning and monitoring

- Microcredit facilities

- Telemedicine

The framework can be termed as Reuse, Recycle, Educate and Earn.

The framework rests on the fundamental platform of social good and strong economic fundamentals, creating employment as well as literacy and growth opportunities to a vast population.

- Creating employment

The e-waste problem can be looked at as an opportunity to create livelihood which includes several stake holders. When viewed in this manner job opportunities can be created at every level in the value chain.

a) Collection teams –  A team of trained resources can be created to collect pc’s, printers and other hardware products that are no longer in use and need to be discarded.

b) Re-generation experts – A set of people who are trained on the products of different hardware suppliers. Once they receive the hardware they will decide to refurbish or discard. The refurbished pc’s will be sent by them to the users. The discarded pc’s will be sent by them to the breakage team which will dismantle them into small component parts like metals, reusable plastic etc.

- Creating literacy and growth

The pc’s that can be reused will be sent across to a central repository of needy children and government educational institutions. The central repository system of demand and supply will be completely transparent. All the pc’s sent across will be at zero cost to the new owner, instead they will have to pay a small monthly fee for support services. Support services will be provided by certified local entrepreneurs.

In addition pc’s can be provided to hospitals, village administrators to maximize opportunities.

- Creating entrepreneurs

No large project can sustain it self purely on the basis of grants it needs to have a viable business model and is based on local enterprise and skill. To ensure the viability of this scheme it is advised that local support staff be developed to ensure that the refurbished pc’s buyers are supported. To ensure quality regular training and measurement needs to be inbuilt into the system. To enable long term success it is proposed that financial institutions that provide micro credit be involved.

Economic value proposition

The framework is supported by three main economic value propositions, one to the manufacture, one to the end consumer and one to the intermediate buyer.

1. Benefits to manufacturers - Independent reuse, recycling business units will no longer be required.

2. Benefits to end BOP consumer - Access to IT products at lower cost, opportunities to learn and grow, access to new revenue streams, Zero cost of ownership, cost of support is less than 1$ a month, opportunities to earn by using the IT infrastructure or by becoming part of the framework

3. Benefits to buyer - Opportunity to dispose products that are not in use, monetization of waste.

Conclusion

A multi dimensional approach to e-waste can help India and other developing countries in not only solving the e-waste problem but establishing a holistic framework for growth and employment generation.