Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy

Environmental Audit Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 13 Mar 2020 Closed: 26 Feb 2021 Parliament page
The Environmental Audit Committee re-launched an inquiry into Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy on Friday 13 March. This inquiry will explore how the UK could reduce its environmental impact, create economic opportunities and maintain access to critical materials by better managing and minimising its e-waste. Evidence submitted to the … Read more
29 Recommendations
14 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
2 Letters
4 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
26 Feb
2021
Report published
26 Nov
2020
Report published
17 Sep
2020
Oral evidence
17 Sep
2020
Correspondence
15 Sep
2020
Correspondence
16 Jul
2020
Oral evidence
25 Jun
2020
Oral evidence
11 Jun
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
17 Sep 2020
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Oral Evidence
Chris Preston · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Malcolm Lythgo · Environment Agency Rebecca Pow MP · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
16 Jul 2020
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E-Waste panel 1; E-Waste panel 2
Andrew Mullen · Joint Trade Association Astrid Wynne · TechBuyer Eva Gouwens · Fairphone Kevin Consindine · Samsung Matthew Manning · DixonsCarphone Robert ter Kuile · Amazon
25 Jun 2020
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Oral evidence
Heather McFarlane · Fidra Jim Puckett · Basel Action Network Libby Peake · Green Alliance Martyn Allen · Electrical Safety First Susanne Baker · techUK Ugo Vallauri · The Restart Project
11 Jun 2020
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Oral evidence
Adrian Hawkes · Distributor Take-back scheme Gurbaksh Badhan · National Association of Waste Disposal Officers Lee Marshall · The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee Louise Grantham · Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment Scheme Forum Phil Conran · Approved Authorised Treatment Facilities Forum Scott Butler · Material Focus
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy HC 220 26 Nov 2020 43 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
7 results
Clear
14 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
The UK Government must confirm that it intends to follow the approach taken by other...
The UK Government must confirm that it intends to follow the approach taken by other countries to ban the practice of intentionally shortening the lifespan of products through planned obsolescence. (Paragraph 85) Conclusion
Government Response
The government agrees there is no place for planned obsolescence and has existing and forthcoming policy measures, including recent consultation on Ecodesign Regulations, to increase product lifetimes and tackle premature obsolescence. They will also explore eco-modulation in WEEE regulations, but do not explicitly confirm they will follow the approach of other countries to ban the practice.
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16 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
To overcome this issue, we recommend that the Government require producers to label their electrical...
To overcome this issue, we recommend that the Government require producers to label their electrical and electronic products outlining the product’s expected lifetime, including how long a device will receive software security upgrades. To enhance the label to be more … Read more
Government Response
The government has consulted on draft Ecodesign Regulations covering consumer information and is committed to supporting greater durability and repairability. They also plan to explore and consult on applying eco-modulation to the WEEE system, but do not commit to mandating specific lifetime or software upgrade labelling or a durable accreditation scheme.
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18 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
We support this proposal and urge the Government to bring this forward with the aim...
We support this proposal and urge the Government to bring this forward with the aim of removing electronics with unduly short lives from the market. The expected lifetime label must be linked to the minimum lifespan guarantee. Particular attention must … Read more
Government Response
The government shares the committee's desire to end planned obsolescence and promote product longevity. They refer to existing Ecodesign Regulations which address durability and repairability, and commit to exploring the application of eco-modulation in the WEEE system, which they will consult on as part of the WEEE Regulations review.
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19 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
The UK has a long history of engineering, and the public wants to be able...
The UK has a long history of engineering, and the public wants to be able repair their products. When products are designed, durability and repairability should be key considerations. The Government must enshrine the right to repair in law, enforcing … Read more
Government Response
The government has consulted on draft Ecodesign Regulations which include requirements for information on repairs and sourcing, and is committed to supporting greater durability and repairability. They also plan to explore and consult on applying eco-modulation to the WEEE system to incentivize better ecodesign, but do not explicitly commit to enshrining the 'right to repair' in law with all specified enforcements.
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20 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
The Government must enshrine the right to repair in law, enforcing access to (1) repair...
The Government must enshrine the right to repair in law, enforcing access to (1) repair manuals; (2) access to affordable spare parts for products; and (3) ability to repair products without repairers needing access to physical or software tools specifically … Read more
Government Response
The government has consulted on draft Ecodesign Regulations which include requirements for information on repairs and sourcing, and is committed to supporting greater durability and repairability. They also plan to explore and consult on applying eco-modulation to the WEEE system, but do not explicitly commit to enshrining the 'right to repair' in law with all specified enforcements.
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22 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
The Government should mandate that products be labelled with a repairability score, based on the...
The Government should mandate that products be labelled with a repairability score, based on the products design, the availability and cost of spare parts, access and ease of use of repair manuals. This will incentivise companies to go beyond the … Read more
Government Response
The government has consulted on draft Ecodesign Regulations, which include requirements for repair information. They are committed to supporting greater durability and repairability, and will explore and consult on applying eco-modulation to the WEEE system to incentivize better ecodesign, but do not explicitly commit to mandating repairability scores or specific rewards.
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33 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
Clear targets for E-waste treatment facilities that are based on capturing value, including critical raw...
Clear targets for E-waste treatment facilities that are based on capturing value, including critical raw materials, and their environmental impact must be set. (Paragraph 133) Recommendation 21
Government Response
The government states existing WEEE Regulations stipulate recycling rates and does not have explicit plans for further critical raw material targets. However, it will explore introducing product passports and waste tracking to enhance the recycling and extraction of high-value materials.
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Government Response AI assessment · 43 of 29 classified
Accepted 2
Accepted in Part 7
Acknowledged 7
Deferred 20
Rejected 7
Total 29 recs + 14 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
17 Sep 2020 Apple to Chair on environmental impact of the electronics industry
Parliament page
15 Sep 2020 Chair to Apple on environmental impact of the electronics industry
Parliament page