Solving the UK’s e-waste crisis with refurbished tech

Stephen Wise, Global Marketing Director, Circular Economy, Alchemy, explores how circularity offers a solution to the UK’s e-waste crisis.

The UK is the world’s second-largest producer of e-waste. In 2022, the country’s average electronic waste (e-waste) generated per person was 24.5kg, an increase from 23.9kg in 2019.

To put this into context, the same study revealed that those living in the United States generated 21kg of e-waste per person. These alarming UK statistics can no longer be ignored.

For reference, any discarded item that includes a plug or battery is considered e-waste. This includes everything from mobile phones and cookers to game consoles and vacuum cleaners.

Improper disposal of such items can release toxic chemicals harmful to human health. For instance, mobile phones frequently contain heavy metals like lead, mercury, beryllium, and other hazardous chemicals such as brominated flame retardants. These substances can infiltrate and accumulate in the environment, contaminating soils, water, and air.

Smaller, or overlooked, items such as LED light-up trainers, power tools, and e-cigarettes also contribute to the e-waste problem, as consumers may send them to landfill or store them at home rather than properly disposing of them.

Despite a trend toward lighter and smaller electronic products, British households exhibit a significant propensity for hoarding – collectively retaining an estimated 880 million unused electrical items.

Recent data suggests that the proper recycling of such items could potentially recover precious metals valued at nearly £1 billion.

Implementing responsible recycling of these materials would also have a profoundly positive impact on the environment. It could prevent 7.89 million tonnes of CO2 emissions entering the atmosphere, an effect comparable to removing 3.84 million vehicles from the road.

Although the collective weight of discarded household electrical items has in fact decreased between 2017 and 2021, the overall number of electrical items being either retained in UK homes, illegally exported, or sold through illicit channels has increased.

The increase in improper handling of these items presents a multifaceted e-waste problem that demands urgent attention and effective solutions.

E-waste’s complicated problem

Electronic waste contains a hidden reservoir of valuable resources, but tackling the issue is incredibly challenging. While recycling can significantly reduce emissions and reclaim valuable materials, extraction is expensive.

Recycling electronics involves breaking them down into small fragments. Following this, powerful magnets extract ferrous metals like steel.

The remaining metals are removed using electronic currents, while plastics are categorised into different types through various techniques such as near-infrared light and density separation. Finally, all the raw materials are redistributed to manufacture new products.

However, the environmental damage begins long before electronic devices reach the disposal stage.

For instance, manufacturing a single new smartphone generates on average 64kg of CO2, requires 244kg of raw materials, and consumes 76,000 litres of water, ultimately resulting in 200 grams of e-waste at the end of its life cycle.

Strategies for a circular economy

We must adopt the circular economy model to ensure that technological innovations continue to enhance our lives. This approach focuses on eliminating waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating nature.

Refurbishing is a critical component of the circular economy. It involves repairing and refreshing used products to restore them to like-new condition. This practice extends product life cycles and mitigates the environmental impact of manufacturing replacements from scratch.

To better understand refurbishment’s merits, consider the following: In a 2021 study, nearly 30% of individuals reported upgrading their phones every three years.

To put this in context, if you received your first phone at age 12 and lived to be 100, you would go through 29 phones in your lifetime. For a family of five, that would amount to 146 phones.

If just half of these phones were refurbished instead of being discarded or replaced, over 4,000kg of CO2 would be saved – the equivalent of driving over 28,000 kilometres.

Business tactics and opportunities

E-waste is not just a problem for everyday consumers. A recent Alchemy survey revealed that 62% of companies either discard perfectly functional devices or allow employees to retain them.

This practice represents a considerable waste of financial and environmental resources and a missed opportunity to adopt more sustainable practices.

Alongside recycling electronics, trading in old devices and purchasing refurbished ones offers another opportunity for considerable cost savings – up to 70% on smartphones and 50% on laptops.

To maximise financial returns from tech assets, businesses should regularly assess their tech inventory.

A strategic approach involves purchasing refurbished devices that are approximately 18 months old and trading in outdated devices every three to four years.

The optimal strategy is to trade in devices while they still have good value – monitoring market trends and product release cycles will help determine the best timing for trade-ins.

Researching and comparing diverse trade-in programmes from manufacturers, authorised resellers, and online marketplaces is essential to secure the best deals.

Appraising the value of existing tech assets before renewal provides insights into potential savings and how to access newer technology for less.

Reevaluating refurbished technology

Business leaders frequently express reservations about purchasing refurbished devices due to concerns over their longevity, reliability, and technological relevance compared to new models.

However, these concerns are largely unfounded. Refurbished tech undergoes rigorous testing to ensure all components meet high standards.

For example, devices are always tested to ensure batteries have at least 80% of their original capacity remaining.

Many refurbished devices also incorporate the latest technology, typically trailing only one or two generations behind the newest models.

In terms of lifespan, a refurbished iPhone is engineered to last as long as a new one, ensuring you can still acquire top-quality technology without compromising on performance or reliability.

And to build on this, purchasing devices a few generations behind isn’t the only option for businesses – buyers can also purchase products that, while no longer classified as new, have never been used and still come with a manufacturer’s warranty.

These items often come from returns due to buyer’s remorse, providing an opportunity to obtain new, unused devices at a lower cost.

Refurbished tech is a vital cog in the circular economy, yet a broader adoption of circular business practices is necessary to fully realise its benefits.

Now more feasible than ever, these practices offer substantial environmental advantages, such as reduced carbon emissions and resource conservation, as well as significant financial savings for businesses.

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The circular economy: Moving beyond recycling

For the circular economy to become a reality, efforts need to go much further than recycling. Andrea Lockerbie delves into some of the high-level thinking, trends and real-world approaches that are showing the way to a more sustainable future.

Definitions of a circular economy can vary, but at the heart of all of them is the shift away from the “take-make-waste” linear economy, to one where materials don’t become waste and nature is regenerated.

As Janez Potocnik, co-chair of the International Resource Panel said at this year’s annual World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF): “Circular Economy is the oldest concept on planet Earth. Nature is based on the principles of a circular economy: nothing is lost, and everything has its purpose.”

While recycling has a role to play in keeping materials in circulation, efforts must be focused higher up the waste hierarchy: on prevention to curb consumption, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing and designing out waste.

The global picture

At the start of the year, Circle Economy Foundation published its Circularity Gap Report 2024 (CGR24) which highlighted that despite an increase in awareness of the Circular Economy, global circularity decreased from 9.1% in 2018 to 7.2% in 2023.

Meanwhile, in the past six years, over half a trillion tonnes of material was consumed globally – almost as much as that consumed in the entirety of the 20^th century – and it continues to rise.

The report spotlighted 12 solutions, highlighting the country profile that they are most relevant to across key global systems, in a bid to show how to make the Circular Economy a reality.

In March, the International Resource Panel (IRP) – launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) back in 2007 – published the Global Resources Outlook 2024 (GRO24).

It said that increasing resource use is the main driver of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.

GRO24 set out the limitations of our current system: “…the current economic structure only allows for an estimated circularity of between 30% and 40%… To push the circularity rate beyond its current potential, there must be a fundamental restructuring of the global production and consumption system.”

Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP said at GRO24’s launch that modelling showed it is “possible, and profitable, to decouple economic growth from resource use and the environmental impacts they cause”.

She added: “To be clear, we are not just talking about recycling here. We are talking about replacing the prevailing linear growth model with sustainable and circular models: systems that keep materials, once extracted, in use for as long as possible by rethinking how we design and deliver goods and services.

“Circularity and more sustainable and resource-smart ways of provisioning basic services are needed in the areas of housing, food and mobility, among others. If we do this, we can create new business models, reduce environmental impacts and slash resource use in wealthier countries.”

The report revealed that high-income countries use six times more materials per capita and are responsible for ten times more climate impacts per capita than low-income countries, an inequality that must be addressed as a core element of the circular economy transition.

However, scenario modelling showed the potential to reduce and rebalance global per capita material use “with absolute reductions from around 2040 driven by reductions in high and upper middle-income nations that outweigh, in aggregate, increases in low and lower middle-income nations”.

It called for bold policy action, including embedding resources in the delivery of multilateral environmental agreements, defining sustainable resource use paths, and rolling out appropriate financial, trade and economic incentives, including strengthening focus on demand-side (consumption) measures.

Shifts to more circular approaches

In the UK, the team at the UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research Hub (CE-Hub) and its CEctor project workstream, which is exploring how to accelerate circular economy adoption in five sectors (hospitality, solar, medical technology, electronics and finance) report some great examples of businesses and organisations moving beyond recycling.

Dr Halid Abu-Bakar, research fellow at the CE-Hub explains: “The Circular Economy has advanced from a primary focus on recycling (48.2% of activities) to include more comprehensive upstream strategies like waste minimisation and design for circularity (30.4% of CE efforts).

“Policies such as the Waste Hierarchy emphasise the prioritisation of waste prevention, promoting efficiency in material use from the outset.

“Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan and the UK’s wider CE policies now embed these strategies across sectors like construction and automotive, where products are designed for extended use, repairability, and remanufacturing.”

Within the hospitality industry, Dani Farrow, CEctor project impact fellow says there is a shift from regular refurbishments to minimalist designs that can be easily maintained and updated, keeping spaces flexible for future changes.

She adds: “A great example of a business working on this is Object.Space.Place who integrate circularity into their work with clients at every stage of the refurbishment process, including how the space is designed, what materials can be reused on site, how ‘new’ materials can be sourced from recycled materials – including orange peel, coffee grounds and oyster shells – and how future work can be kept to a minimum.”

This focus on flexibility and extending use is also being seen in the wider built environment sector. For example, Finnish business Parmaco offers a dynamic “buildings as a service” rental model, which addresses the issue of buildings becoming obsolete.

Its permanent quality, energy-efficient modular buildings reduce the carbon load by 90% compared to new builds.

Already used for schools, daycare facilities and hospitals, the buildings can be transferred for use elsewhere when one use comes to an end.

Parmaco was included in the list of Europe’s top 30 circular solutions for nature put together by Finnish innovation fund Sitra.

The European solar sector has also made great progress, with a shift to remove hazardous materials from product design and insist on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and lifecycle assessments in procurements, particularly public tenders. This makes products more environmentally friendly and easier to recycle effectively at their end of life.

Ananda Nidhi, CEctor project impact fellow, explains: “Some companies are designing products to be modular, so they can be easily repaired, extending their use to different settings.

Some companies are designing products to be modular, so they can be easily repaired, extending their use to different settings.

“A UK startup working in this space is Grafmarine, who have modular energy solutions for the maritime industry, that are easily repairable/upgradable and that can be repurposed for land-based applications as well.”

For electronics, Dr Dan Thorman, CE-Hub impact fellow, explains: “An emergent trend that is accelerating circularity in the sector is the development of new business models and integration with the sharing economy.

“Models that incorporate ‘take-back for resale’, refurbishment, and Product-as-a-service (PaaS) illustrate new ways that business can move away from a linear production model and incorporate circularity into their practices.

“This could mean loaning products and providing maintenance or refurbishment, which increases the motivation and efficiencies within a circular economy approach.”

Examples of such shifts to service models can be seen in German businesses Rebike and Grover. Rebike is a premium e-bike rental business and remanufacturer that offers as-new e-bikes at reasonable prices, e-bike subscriptions, and e-bike rental stations in popular holiday regions. Its model and in-house refurbishment capabilities ensure a longer life for e-bikes.

Meanwhile, Grover offers an alternative to ownership of everyday devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones and digital cameras, through flexible monthly rental, which ensures that products no longer needed are returned, repaired or refurbished, and then used again. On average, Grover rents most tech products 2-4 times.

Both Rebike and Grover have been supported by Circularity Capital, a UK independent investment manager.

Alexandra Lake, CEctor project business development manager, says securing finance is an important part of the puzzle for businesses trying to innovate in this space.

Circularity Capital offers funding for circular start-ups, raising finance for business models that would otherwise be perceived as too risky.

Getting finance right for circularity is where we will see significant impact on the pace of transition to a circular economy.

Lake explains: “Their mission is to deliver value for investors by supporting growth and innovation in the circular economy. Investment is coupled with an offer of their team’s specialist expertise and knowledge in the circular economy to support the businesses they back.

“Getting finance right for circularity is where we will see significant impact on the pace of transition to a circular economy. The ESG and impact investment sector is already well developed and rapidly gathering pace.”

But she warns that the barriers include “the systemic prevalence of a finance system that supports the linear economy, where externalities such as pollution, water quality, raw materials depletion and bio-degradation are not costed fully into the prices of products consumed. Risk and return on investment are measured against linear economy appraisal indicators. This distorts the true cost and risk of investments, particularly in the long term”.

Indeed, both GRO24 and CGR24 suggest moving beyond GDP and other traditional economic metrics to holistic indicators that encompass human well-being within planetary boundaries.

Within the medical technology (Medtech) sector, which uses significant volumes of single-use devices, work on sustainability is also taking place.

As Georgie Hopkins, lead of the CEctor Medtech project explains, these changes enable “either component or entire device reuse and remanufacture while still meeting stringent infection control and CE guidelines around safety in the UK”.

Hopkins cites Vanguard as an example “of one company taking a whole-system approach in partnership with medical establishments, delivering a comprehensive remanufacturing service for devices such as laparoscopic shears, which have been demonstrated to offer financial, material and carbon savings as a result”.

While these examples show positive steps, they need to become the norm. Farrow adds: “We need a shift in our ways of working, from competitive to collaborative – it is extremely difficult for a single business to be circular. It needs to involve its supply chains and create new connections with other businesses to support repair, remanufacture and reuse of materials.”

She points to Bluestone as a good example of this. “To extend the life of their sofas they partner with an organisation who refurbishes them, creating local jobs and supporting adults with additional needs. Projects like this demonstrate the wider impact the circular economy can have on local communities.”

Broader impacts

“It’s clear that the circular economy offers a practical solution to business challenges, including tackling the net zero agenda and how to tackle emissions within supply chains,” says Farrow.

“However, applied fully, it goes far beyond this with the potential to have a direct, positive impact on employee well-being and wider society – through the provision of jobs and skills development in circular strategies such as repair and refurbishment,” she says.

While many businesses are starting to embrace circular thinking, Farrow adds: “To accelerate adoption, we need a coordinated approach bringing together policymakers with industries and their supply chains to create momentum and the conditions for change through clear and actionable road maps.”

Global collaboration, harmonised policies and standards, streamlined financing instruments and support for front-runner businesses were all clear messages that came out at this year’s WCEF, as well as the need for a circular economy transition that was just for all.

Part of the forum’s discussion was around how to redress the fact that the resource-rich Global South countries are at a disadvantage in global production value chains.

Provisioning systems

A novel concept introduced in GRO24 and discussed at WCEF24 was the use of “provisioning systems”, which considers how to meet human needs by grouping together ecological, technological, institutional and social elements, rather than looking at sector-specific solutions which may have unintended consequences.

For example, the automotive industry may look at electrification to improve its sustainability, which has the unintended consequence of driving up resource use for the new batteries and vehicles needed.

But with a provisioning systems approach focused on mobility, solutions such as improving public transport, developing more condensed urban centres, and enabling working from home would come to the fore, as ways to meet human mobility needs in less resource-intensive ways.

The IRP believes that the use of “provisioning systems” incentivises cross-sector innovation and provides “a foundation of building the future-fit socio-economic models that use less resources and multiply the co-benefits for people and planet”.

GRO24 identified and considered four resource-intensive provisioning systems central to human well-being: energy, food, built environment and mobility – the latter two are the most resource-intensive, and all four account for approximately 90% of global material demand.

Analysis in the report also found that an integrated policy approach, combining action on resource efficiency, energy and climate, plus food and land, achieves significantly greater positive effects than any one of these policy packages would in isolation.

Mindset shift

Both GRO24 and CGR24 called for bold action from policymakers to boardrooms if we want to achieve circularity.

As Farrow says: “Shifting to a circular economy requires behavioural and cultural change, including changes to working practices, mindset and business models. As academics, policymakers, investors and businesses, we need to come together to set a clear direction for travel, including specific actions, targets and measurements.”

There are challenges on the road to circularity, and global collaboration is key. But can progress also be helped by taking the time to imagine what the future could be like?

A group of participants at WCEF24 were asked to imagine being part of an experiment in 2027 where they could only have 100 possessions, with the aim of living a more service-based life. Could fewer things lead to a higher quality of life?

As Sitra wrote in its WCEF24 summary: “Circularity professionals may already be too familiar with the phrase ‘you cannot change what you don’t measure’ but isn’t it also true that we cannot achieve what we don’t imagine?” Can you imagine a future with a fully functioning circular economy? Now, we just need to get there.

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Paris 2024 Olympics: A new standard for circular economy events?

Anna Gerke, Associate Professor at Audencia, Member of the Scientific Committee, Think Tank Sport and Citizenship, explores if the Paris Olympics set a new standard for the circular economy at sporting events.

As the planet faces increasingly urgent environmental challenges, including the rapid depletion of natural resources, the circular economy and its principles offer promising solutions.

Sports organisations are beginning to adopt circular economy practices at various levels – whether at the product, organisational, or even the entire industry or ecosystem level.

Mega sports events, which typically consume vast amounts of resources, require innovative solutions to enhance their sustainability.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have set a new standard in this regard. As International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach highlighted at the closing ceremony, these Games marked the beginning of a new era.

They were not only the first to achieve gender parity among competitors but were also the most sustainable Olympics to date.

The Paris 2024 organisation committee is the first Olympics organisation committee to have appointed a Circular Economy Officer, and in November 2023 they published their strategy for sustainability.

But how might they succeed in leaving a more sustainable legacy, through circular economy principles, than previous games?

The circular economy at the Paris Olympics

Paris 2024 has aimed to set a precedent by integrating sustainable practices into every aspect of the Games, demonstrating the potential for large-scale sports events to adopt and benefit from circular economy strategies.

Let’s analyse these efforts in light of recent advances in circular economy research to understand their potential impact.

The circular economy can be broken down into three key principles: First, eliminating the use of virgin resources by designing out waste and pollution; second, relying entirely on renewable resources as sole sources of energy; and third, inventing regenerative designs embedded in socio-economic systems.

To implement these principles, circular strategies include prolonging the use of products, materials and resources, and developing new models to satisfy these needs.

These principles should be applied while maintaining social equity and environmental stewardship.

A winning strategy for more sustainability

The Paris 2024 organising committee published ten commitments to achieve a “more circular games”.

For example, 95% of the infrastructure used for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games either already existed or was temporary.

This meant a considerable reduction in new construction, thereby almost eliminating the use of virgin resources.

By using pre-existing venues and temporary structures, the Games minimised the environmental impact of new buildings.

The organising committee was also committed to maximising the reuse of materials or products used during the games.

They have mandated that 100% of the furniture from the venue and all temporary infrastructure be repurposed and given a second life after the Games. In addition, the subcontractors were required to incorporate second-life aspects in their projects.

This commendable approach reflects Paris 2024’s commitment to extending its circular economy ambitions throughout the event’s supply network.

90% of marketing and signage products will be redeployed, reused or recycled after the Games.

Waste, energy and other issues

The goal of the organising committee is to avoid or recover 80% of consumption waste during the Games. They aimed for a 50% reduction of single-use plastic waste compared to previous games.

However, they could have achieved much more by entirely replacing plastic-based products with organic material-based products.

The first green Olympic flame, soaring high in the airborne Olympic Cauldron above the Tuileries Gardens – a tribute to the Montgolfier brothers and powered solely by green electricity – captured everyone’s imagination.

This remarkable achievement underscores the commitment to sustainability. However, overall, the issues of energy consumption, energy sources, emissions, and pollution generated by the Games were not widely addressed in the circular economy strategy of the Paris 2024 organising committee.

Little attention was given to alternative consumption models such as rental, leasing and sharing. For example, only 60% of the sports, technology and security equipment was leased rather than bought.

While local production should be favoured, only 15% of licensed products used were made in France and use organic or recycled materials.

This is a rather poor result, given the emphasis on small-scale, local production and consumption circuits as key features of the circular economy.

So, in conclusion, the Paris 2024 organising committee deserves recognition for its genuine, serious and substantial effort to make the Olympic Games more circular. However, the challenge now passes to Los Angeles to push these initiatives even further and ensure that the 2028 Games become truly circular.

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Doncaster Council partners with Duraproducts on recycled plastic kerbs

Doncaster Council has partnered with Duraproducts to trial the company’s recycled plastic kerbing units at two sites within the city.

Traditional concrete kerbs at North Bridge and West End Lane have been replaced with Durakerb, a recyclable lightweight kerbing solution made from 88% recycled polymer content.

The units are made from recycled milk bottles, caps and closures, plus other household and commercial polymer waste.

All Durakerb units can be either recycled into new products or repurposed in their entirety for different projects.

As part of the project, Highway Operations, in collaboration with the Highways Asset Management Team, researched alternative methods to design out or greatly reduce the need for manual handling of concrete kerbs and channels, as well as decreasing exposure to silica dust.

Doncaster Council said it selected Durakerb for its “superior” health and safety credentials, specifically relating to handling issues involving concrete.

The unit weighs under 6kg, so can be lifted by hand without the need for machinery at any stage of installation, and every unit can be hand sawn and resized to fit any space.

Andy Leah, General Manager at Duraproducts commented: “It’s great to see Doncaster Council leading the way in sustainable infrastructure.

“By partnering with Duraproducts and implementing our innovative recycled plastic kerbing units, the council is not only improving the environment but also prioritising the health and safety of its workforce.

“The successful trials demonstrate the viability and benefits of this sustainable solution, and we hope to see more councils adopting similar practices in the future.”

The local authority identified one high-stress area, which suffers from regular HGV override and has previously been repaired to test the capabilities of Durakerb, as well as one low-stress site.

Following the completion of the works, Doncaster Council said although there was clear evidence of vehicle override, the kerbs had not become damaged or displaced.

The second site selected for the trial is predominately used by domestic vehicles. Early indications show that the kerbs installed at the two sites have enabled safe, single-person manual handling, the local authority said.

The council has proposed extending the use of Durakerb to other suitable projects across the borough with a view to them becoming the norm rather than the exception.

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How to reach net zero in the telecoms industry through circularity

Steven Moore, Head of Climate Action at the GSMA, explains why telecoms companies should hang up on linear procurement models and resell and recycle equipment to achieve net zero targets.

With the key climate milestone of 2030 fast approaching, it’s crucial companies embed sustainability and circularity initiatives into the core of their business strategies of telecommunications.

Until now, energy efficiency improvements and a switch to powering networks using renewable energy have played a key role in reducing these emissions.

The industry faces a dilemma: how can the telecoms sector stay at the forefront of new technological advancements, such as 5G and AI, while significantly reducing carbon emissions?

Especially when coupled with equipment replacement cycles that are increasingly unsustainable, both financially and environmentally.

However, confronting the growing issue of network equipment and device waste also presents a unique opportunity for telecoms companies to accelerate their sustainability plans.

By focusing on the resale, reuse, and recycling of pre-owned telecoms equipment, operators can take a manageable and effective step towards achieving their net-zero targets.

Replacing the linear with the circular

The linear replacement cycle, while straightforward, is inefficient and suboptimal for the environment: buy new equipment, use it until innovation demands something new, then replace it.

While some parts get recycled, many pieces of equipment gather dust in warehouses or, worse, end up in landfill.

According to the Global e-Waste Monitor, annual e-waste generation is expected to reach 82 million metric tonnes by 2030, a 33% increase from 2022 levels.

Adding to the urgency, the GSMA estimates that manufacturing network equipment – including materials extraction and processing – and constructing network sites and mobile masts account for more than 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.

Supply chain emissions represent the largest share of a network operator’s carbon footprint, reaching over 80% of the total in some cases.

Then there’s the issue of precious metals that need to be mined to create new equipment, and the environmental impact this can cause.

It’s clear that the linear “buy-use-discard” supply chain model is not only wasteful, but also contributes to carbon emissions and slows our progress toward achieving net zero by 2050.

That’s why earlier this year, working with the telecoms industry, we introduced the GSMA Equipment Marketplace.

The platform connects buyers and sellers of pre-owned telecom network equipment, making it easy to monetise unused equipment, find what’s needed without buying brand-new hardware, clear warehouse space and, crucially, avoid unnecessary carbon emissions.

Why selling makes sense

To achieve net zero targets, telecoms network operators need to reduce their “Scope 3” supply chain emissions.

While some of this can only be achieved by working directly with manufacturing partners, strong opportunities exist when it comes to creating circular supply chains.

Network operators can estimate their carbon emissions reduction of the assets purchased or disposed through GSMA Equipment Marketplace, rather than purchasing from new.

This evidence can then be incorporated into the business’s reporting to highlight the brand’s commitment to the environment and the tangible progress made towards carbon targets.

When unused equipment is kept in storage, its value is likely to depreciate over time. By using the GSMA Equipment Marketplace, sellers gain access to a global market of potential buyers, allowing them to extend the lifecycle of their products and avoid waste.

For example, following 5G upgrades to its network, Vodafone has used the platform to sell decommissioned network equipment to operators in other geographies where 3G and 4G mobile connectivity remains the backbone of the network.

This has delivered new revenue and savings opportunities for Vodafone, while also contributing to a reduction in the company’s carbon footprint by conserving resources and promoting reuse.

Sellers can also stand to benefit from improved Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, as the marketplace allows companies to quantify their circular economy efforts and provide real-time visibility of global inventory.

Buying pre-owned

From a buyer’s perspective, purchasing pre-owned network equipment offers substantial cost savings – equipment is typically available at less than 60% of the prices compared to buying new. Everything is refurbished, tested and comes with a warranty.

In addition to financial benefits, choosing pre-owned significantly reduces the environmental impact associated with manufacturing new equipment.

Engaging in this process means buyers help conserve natural resources, reduce demand for new production, and minimise carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and logistics.

Waste not, want not

This approach is tried and tested. Various industries are already doing it – for example, online platforms like Back Market and MusicMagpie have turned the resale of consumer electronics into a booming business.

They’ve not only reduced e-waste by extending the life of devices but they also check the condition and trade-in value of a device before it even leaves the seller, cutting down on unnecessary shipping and emissions that come with it.

In the telecoms sector, a number of mobile operators – such as Telefonica and Orange – are now putting programmes in place, especially in the area of device refurbishment and resale.

Telefonica, which has a goal of reaching by 2030 goal, refurbished and reused nearly 90% of their customer premises equipment in 2023 alone, avoiding the purchase of 3.7 million new units.

Orange has also been leading on circularity through its “rɘ” programme which focuses on device repair, recovery, refurbishment, and recycling, and this year launched its Circular Mobility offer for businesses in France to increase circularity and reduce carbon emissions from mobile phones.

The bottom line

Ultimately, sustainable practices and circular trading are not just environmentally responsible they are economically advantageous.

The future of telecoms isn’t just about faster networks and more data, it’s about smarter, greener business models that benefit everyone.

Those operators who choose circularity and innovation will be best placed to thrive in an increasingly competitive market.

The only question now is how soon will they start turning yesterday’s equipment into today’s valuable assets?

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Packaging in London produces 4.1 million tonnes of emissions annually

Packaging in London produces 4.1 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, with almost half of the emissions generated by plastic packaging alone, according to new report.

The 4.1 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions is equivalent to around half the emissions generated by London’s transport network.

ReLondon, Valpak and WRAP plan to launch the research’s findings during London’s 7^th annual Circular Economy Week.

The research found that around 2.2 million tonnes of packaging are consumed and disposed of every year in London by residents, visitors and businesses, which is equivalent to almost 250kg per person.

Of the 2.2 million tonnes of packaging, 44% of household waste and 33% of commercial waste is recycled, according to the research.

While visitors accounted for 30% of consumer packaging use in London, they accounted for 55% of packaging thrown away in street bins as well as in hotels, restaurants and offices.

The research, conducted by Valpak and commissioned by ReLondon, is the first study to use a material flow analysis methodology to measure the climate impacts of packaging use at a city level.

The methodology highlights the impacts through a consumption lens to analyse the whole lifecycle impacts of packaging rather than just production-related emissions.

The research found the 76% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with London’s packaging supply chain have already been produced by the time the packaging leaves the factory gate.

The next largest source of emissions is the incineration of packaging waste, which contributes to 20% of London’s packaging emissions.

What is the solution?

The report identifies three ways to reduce the amount of emissions packaging generates.

Increasing recycled content in plastic packaging by up to 60%, which the research said could result in a 7.8% reduction in emissions.

Reducing or eliminating excess packaging through reuse and refill schemes, or removing fruit and vegetable packaging, which could potentially achieve a 5.8% reduction in emissions for the packaging categories considered in the report.

Increasing collection and recycling rates to 70% for packaging overall, and 55% for plastic packaging specifically, which the report said could lead to a 9.1% reduction in emissions.

Wayne Hubbard, CEO of ReLondon, commented: “Our new report, ‘London’s packaging footprint’, identifies the significant contribution that packaging, and in particular plastic packaging, makes to London’s carbon emissions – equivalent to half of London’s transport emissions.

“A startling three quarters of these emissions occur before packaging even reaches the consumer, as they are caused mainly by its production and distribution.

“The transition to a low carbon circular economy provides a real opportunity to reduce our emissions, make our economy more resilient and promote growth in more sustainable and circular business models – and Circular Economy Week this year has a strong focus on the growth potential for the UK in moving to a zero waste economy.”

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73% of Britons want DRS for all drinks containers before 2027

73% of Britons want the Labour government to launch a deposit return scheme for all drinks containers including aluminium cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles, new survey shows.

The poll of 2,000 UK adults was commissioned by Alupro and conducted by Yonder between 30 August to 1 September 2024.

65% of those polled also said Whitehall should follow the example of the Welsh Government by setting binding recycling targets for local authorities.

Alupro, an industry-funded, not-for-profit organisation representing the aluminium industry, said the poll showed Britons want an interoperable DRS across the UK that includes all materials no later than 2027.

The previous Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said he would decline a request from the Welsh Government for full exclusion from the Internal Market Act, which would exclude them from collecting glass as part of its DRS.

Mary Creagh, minister with responsibility for circular economy, has said the UK Government plans to launch a DRS for drinks containers before the previous October 2027 deadline but has not confirmed what materials will be in-scope.

They do not want landmark environmental policy such as deposit return schemes to be delayed beyond 2027.

Tom Giddings, Alupro Executive Director, said: “The Great British public could not be clearer. They want Labour to get on and deliver for the environment.

“They do not want landmark environmental policy such as deposit return schemes to be delayed beyond 2027. Britons have waited long enough for Whitehall to do right by the environment.

“I look forward to discussing in Liverpool how Labour can deliver a real circular economy for this and future generations.”

The survey, released ahead of the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, also found over 80% of Britons who expressed an opinion in the poll said Labour should be “bold” in pushing through key environmental policies.

82% of Britons also said they wanted Labour to “right the wrongs” of 14 years of Conservative Government.

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