Saving electronics from the scrapheap
Does this sound familiar? Your brand-new wireless earbuds break after using them just a few times. Your washing machine has a fault, but the repair is almost as expensive as buying a new one. Or smartphone software that slows down after a few years, even though the phone itself still works perfectly fine.
This is no coincidence, but the result of a system built on fast consumption. At Fair Resource Foundation, we are committed to a transition towards a circular electronics chain, in which appliances last longer and manufacturers are genuinely held accountable for what they put on the market.
The growing mountain of e-waste
The Netherlands is the European frontrunner in placing electronics on the market (an average of 45 kilos per person). Every Dutch household owns an average of 131 devices. But at the end of the chain, we fall short: less than half is collected, even though e-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world.
What we do not collect disappears from sight. The extraction of raw materials and the processing of our waste cause massive environmental and health damage, largely outside Europe.
Current policy—such as the WEEE Directive, the WEEE Regulations and extended producer responsibility (EPR)—falls short: it focuses too much on collection and (low-grade) recycling, and too little on reducing production, preventing waste, and extending product lifespans.
Where does it go wrong?
Why is it so attractive to buy the latest iPhone when the previous one still works fine? Why is buying a new smartphone often easier and cheaper than repairing one? And why do devices end up in the shredder before being reused? To truly tackle these problems in the chain, we need to understand how the system works. We have mapped out the biggest bottlenecks in the electronics supply chain.
What needs to be done?
To become circular, the electronics supply chain needs a complete overhaul. Fair Resource Foundation works every day to make these changes happen, both in practice and in politics. Our key priorities for this transition are as follows:
Making companies pay for waste prevention and enabling reuse (via Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)).
A ban on disposable electronics, such as musical birthday cards, bicycle lights that break very quickly, or glow gadgets at events that can only be used once.
A ban on destroying unsold and returned goods.
Mandatory provision of information to consumers at the time of purchase regarding expected lifespan and repairability.
Stricter design requirements geared towards circularity (including software): devices must, for example, be repairable. Software should not be the reason a device ceases to function.
Repair and reuse must become the easiest options. This requires affordable spare parts, accessible repair manuals, and a network of local repairers and reuse centres.
Strict enforcement and inspection of electronics that do not comply with rules and standards, as well as on illegal exports.
Collaboration across the entire electronics chain.
Our projects
With these projects, we are saving electronics from the shredder:
Reboot
Together with municipalities and waste sorters, we aim to reuse more electronics through improved collection. We are investigating how this can be scaled up and funded, for example by having companies also pay to make products suitable for reuse once they have become waste (via extended producer responsibility).
REPAIR
Together with the TU Delft Climate Safety & Security Centre and ReLab (Leiden University), we will dismantle devices and investigate the design and repairability of electronics under the banner REPAIR – Reconfiguring Economies and Practices for Integrated Repair. Through this, we aim to help designers, companies, and policymakers reduce electronic waste in the transition towards a circular economy.
