Westcoast has claimed a UK distribution first as it formed a partnership with Dutch social enterprise Closing The Loop, to collect scrap devices for safe recycling from emerging markets.
Via the pact, Westcoast partners can opt into Closing the Loop’s ‘One to One’ service when a new mobile phone, tablet or laptop is purchased.
This triggers an equivalent amount of e-waste to be responsibly recycled, that would otherwise have ended up in landfill.
When replacement products are purchased, the ‘One for One’ service collects and recycles an equivalent in scrap phones after it has left the channel, from a country where there is no formal recycling infrastructure for e-waste.
This makes it different from a traditional ITAD service, Westcoast said.
According to the UN, 62 million tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2022, up 82% on 2010. That figure is on track to rise by another 32% to 82 million tonnes by 2030, its Global e-Waste Monitor 2024 report found.
Some 22.3% of the year’s e-waste mass was documented as having been properly collected and recycled in 2022, leaving $62bn worth of recoverable natural resources unaccounted for and increasing pollution risks to communities worldwide, the report said.
“We are very excited about this new partnership. It provides a cost-effective way for our partners and their customers to work towards sustainable goals, with easy-to-report results. Plus, the scheme not only reduces electronic waste and gives precious raw materials a new life but it also helps to create jobs in low-income economies,” Andrea Bowyer, Sustainability Lead at Westcoast, said.
