A guide to the circular economy of digital devices

A guide to the circular economy of digital devices

Module 1: The environmental impact of a digital device

Module 2: Meeting the needs of the future

Module 3: Defining the circular economy of digital devices

Case study - eReuse: Building reuse circuits for social inclusion

Module 4: How producing digital devices impacts on natural resources and on people

Case study - The fate of women artisanal miners in Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Case study - “We are struggling to survive”: Resistance against mining in Acacoyagua, Chiapas

Case study - The microfactory model: SMaRT innovation for urban waste mining

Module 5: The need for transparency in the design of digital devices

Case study - Fairphone: Building a mobile phone that is socially and environmentally responsible, and lasts longer

Module 6: The need for workers’ rights in assembly and manufacturing

Case study - Electronics Watch: Utilising public procurement power to make the largest settlement of migrant worker recruitment fees possible

Module 7: Sustainable public procurement

Module 8: Extending the useful life of a device

Module 9: The value and cost of e-waste

Case study - Computer Aid’s Solar Learning Lab: Sustainable, scalable and adaptable to local needs

Case study - Planta de Gestión de Residuos Informáticos: The long and challenging road in setting up an e-waste recycling plant in Argentina

Case study - Karo Sambhav (Make It Possible): Working with manufacturers to create an e-waste ecosystem in India

Case study - Benelux Afro Center: Innovative relay stations involving young people in the proper recycling of e-waste in the DRC

Case study - GSM Repairers Association: Building capacity and creating opportunities for mobile repairers in Nigeria

Case study - Computadores para Educar: Ensuring circularity through managing e-waste properly in a computers-for-schools initiative

Module 10: An introduction to environmental rights as an advocacy framework

Module 11: Challenges and ways forward for policy action – awareness, mining, design, manufacturing and procurement

Module 12: Challenges and ways forward for policy action – use, reuse and e-waste

Case study - Transitioning to the circular economy in the South Asia region: A phased policy approach for Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Acknowledgements