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
1 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
The system of collection targets in the UK is unclear.
The system of collection targets in the UK is unclear. National figures on collection rates include a significant amount of estimation about electronics that have been collected in different ways, with no clear understanding as to whether those collected electronics … Read more
Government Response
The government notes the Committee's concern about estimates and their reliability, explaining that white goods are often recycled outside the official WEEE system due to scrap metal value, and that estimates minimize business burdens. It acknowledges the importance of understanding these volumes but doesn't commit to specific actions to clarify the system or improve data on treatment quality.
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13 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
As a complement to the monitoring per capita material consumption there must also be a...
As a complement to the monitoring per capita material consumption there must also be a target in place to reduce consumption to a sustainable level in line with the research highlighted in this report. Due to the increasing number of … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the recommendation and is exploring setting a legally-binding target to increase resource productivity under the Environment Bill, stating the target-setting process will review the level of ambition, but does not specifically commit to per capita consumption targets or a sub-target for electronics.
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15 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
Consumers have a low trust in the electronic market and the longevity of products, both...
Consumers have a low trust in the electronic market and the longevity of products, both new, and repaired. They lack the information to make informed choices about the balance between cost, quality and the lifetime of the products they are … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's conclusion regarding low consumer trust and lack of information, stating it shares the desire to increase product lifetimes. It outlines existing and forthcoming policy measures, including recent ecodesign consultations, and commits to exploring eco-modulation through a future WEEE Regulations review to incentivize more sustainable product design.
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21 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
Technology companies, repair organisations and the UK Government should collaborate to ensure safety is ensured...
Technology companies, repair organisations and the UK Government should collaborate to ensure safety is ensured during the repair of electronics. This could be through creating professional standards, that will in turn drive more consumer trust. This collaboration should also look … Read more
Government Response
The government commits to ensuring consumer safety and intellectual property considerations are taken on board during policy development to support greater durability, repairability, and recyclability of electrical products, and will explore eco-modulation within the WEEE Regulations review.
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35 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
Government investment in low-quality Energy from Waste plants should at the least be matched by...
Government investment in low-quality Energy from Waste plants should at the least be matched by investment in higher quality recycling methods that mean materials, particularly rare and valuable ones can be re-used. Energy from Waste, though important to prevent items … Read more
Government Response
The government believes its primary goal is to incentivise higher quality recycling methods and will explore whether a longer-term approach to target setting could promote investment in these methods. They do not commit to matching investment in Energy from Waste or explicitly prioritising other methods.
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38 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
Increasing resource productivity by reducing the amount of resource that is extracted to make new...
Increasing resource productivity by reducing the amount of resource that is extracted to make new products will be crucial to reducing the damaging impact of extractive industries on the environment and safeguarding scarce resources that are vital to a low-carbon … Read more
Government Response
The government notes the importance of stimulating recycled materials use and describes existing Ecodesign powers and a Call for Evidence which will inform future policy, also committing to explore eco-modulation of producer financial obligations in the WEEE Regulations review.
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40 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - Electronic Waste an…
There are in some cases legitimate reasons to export overseas old electronics that can have...
There are in some cases legitimate reasons to export overseas old electronics that can have a second life. (Paragraph 159) Recommendation 25
Government Response
The government agrees with the serious impact of illegal e-waste exports and is committed to ensuring lawful exports. They discuss regulations and ongoing work by the Basel Convention on e-waste classification and shipment for repair, providing context around the complexities of legitimate and unlawful exports.
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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