Zero E-waste: Regulatory impediments and blockchain imperatives

doi:10.1007/s11783-021-1402-x

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2021, Vol. 15

Issue (6) : 114 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1402-x

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Zero E-waste: Regulatory impediments and blockchain imperatives

Mengjun Chen¹, Oladele A. Ogunseitan²(

)

¹. Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle (SWUST) (Ministry of Education), Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
². Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-3957, USA

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Abstract

• Copyrights on electronic products are impediments in promoting circular economy.

• Manufacturers antagonize refurbishment and remanufacturing to maximize profit.

• International harmonization of copyright laws will aid repair and remanufacture.

• Blockchain–digital immutable ledgers–can promote trust among stakeholders.

The concept of zero waste is an ideal situation that will require different solutions for different categories of waste. Electronic waste (E-waste), the fastest growing category of solid hazardous waste presents various unique challenges. Electronic product repair, reuse and remanufacture (3re) are crucial for effective source reduction of E-waste and the integration of the electronics industry into a circular or zero-waste economy framework. Increasingly, 3re implementation is restricted by regulatory difficulties, particularly the invocation of copyright laws. Here, we use the examples of electronic printer cartridges and restored compact discs (CDs) to identify the challenges and to explore solutions for managing the risks associated with E-waste through circular economy and the opportunities presented by innovative Blockchain solutions. A set of international consensuses on judicial definitions, such as 3re, refurbish fake/counterfeit product and copyright exhaustion, are proposed to accelerate source reduction in E-waste management toward the goal of zero waste.

Keywords Blockchain E-waste Regulatory Policy Copyright Laws Repair-Reuse-Remanufacture Toxicity

Corresponding Author(s): Oladele A. Ogunseitan

Issue Date: 05 February 2021

Cite this article:

Mengjun Chen,Oladele A. Ogunseitan. Zero E-waste: Regulatory impediments and blockchain imperatives[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(6): 114.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-021-1402-x
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2021/V15/I6/114

Fig.1 A total of 53.6 million metric tons (mmt) of E-waste was generated globally in 2019 (red bars), representing 7.3 kg per person. E-waste production increased by 9.2 mmt since 2014. E-waste collection and recycling rate is highest in Europe at 42.5% and as low as 0.9% in Africa (green bars), leaving wide gap between production and resource recovery and the attendant adverse impacts on human health and the environment (Forti et al., 2020).

Fig.2 E-waste consists of small (panel a) and large (panel b) electronic products of various model years, and large E-waste collection and recycling facilities visited by authors in Santa Ana, California (Chen) and Beijing, China (Ogunseitan) require moderation of copyright laws to fully implement the opportunities for refurbishment and re-sale. Portraits are of the two authors of this article, and grant publishing permit. All photo credits to Oladele A. Ogunseitan.

Fig.3 Schematic diagram of the application of Blockchain to the Life Cycle of Electronic Products including E-waste Management. Blockchain architecture is well established for tracking minerals at source (black text box) to the manufacturer’s supply chain (brown text box), which is typically shielded from retailers and consumers (beige text box), except in cases where manufacturers advertise “green” production or sustainable practices. Blockchain architecture needs to be extended to manage post-consumer disposal of E-waste (light green text box) and recycle, reuse, and remanufacturing processes (dark green text box) to overcome impediments associated with copyright infringements, and to promote integration of E-waste into a circular economy.

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