Growing demand for electronics…and ceramic components

When people outside the industry think of ceramics, they most likely do not think of electronics. But in fact, ceramics are an important component in many of the electronics used today.

The size of the global electronics ceramics market is expected to reach almost $16 billion by 2026,¹ driven by rising demand for phones, tablets, and other e-products that are a part of everyday life. Ceramics are often used as the “package” for microchips or integrated circuits because of their excellent thermal conductivity and resistance to chemical erosion.

While the proliferation of electronics has benefited people worldwide with unprecedented access to information, education, healthcare, and financial services, the current rate of growth and consumption of resources is not sustainable. Faster, smarter, more feature-rich devices are released with ever-growing frequency, replacing their older model counterparts. But what happens to the estimated 54 million tons of electronics that are discarded every year?

Estimates for global recycling rates for electronics range from 15–30%. These rates mean the vast majority of electronics are instead accumulating in closets, offices, basements, and landfills, where the potential for reuse or recycling remains largely untapped. It is estimated that the value of reusable resources from discarded electronics is more than $55 billion each year.² In addition to sacrificing the value that could be gained from those products, it depletes the limited supply of resources necessary to produce those products.

The new movement toward a circular economy is a more sustainable model. A circular economy maximizes the value of products throughout their life cycles. Recycling plays an important role, but extending the useful life of products takes center stage because of the greater environmental benefits of reuse—particularly so when it comes to electronics. The manufacturing process for a laptop accounts for as much as 70% of the total energy the laptop will consume throughout its entire lifecycle.³ A United Nations University study⁴ found that manufacturing a single computer and screen used 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 48 pounds of chemicals, and 1.65 tons of water. With so much invested in the production, lengthening the lifespan of electronic products only makes sense. The good news is that repaired and refurbished electronics can perform as new if loaded with updated software and drivers, and the lifespan can easily be doubled, or even tripled.

The amount of resources it takes to manufacture a single computer and screen weighs more than a black rhinoceros. Credit: iStock.com/Computer, OnstOn/ Scales, panimoni/Rhino, VasjaKoman

When reuse in no longer a viable option, a circular economy maximizes value by harvesting parts and components that can be used in future repairs, or even to manufacture entirely different products. And when harvesting options have been exhausted, materials recovery is the next step. Many different precious metals and other elements can be successfully recovered and reintroduced into the manufacturing stream, reducing the demand for limited supplies of natural resources.

Ceramics are one of the few materials that are not recoverable at this time. As part of the circuit board, they are sent to a smelter for precious metal recovery, but the ceramics themselves are not recovered during this process. As new technologies and uses for recovered materials develop, a more circular economy for electronics will continue to emerge.

Every individual, business, and municipality has a part to play in sustainable management of used electronics. To ensure the electronics you no longer use are properly sanitized of data and follow the circular economy model of reuse–recovery, entrust them to an R2 Certified facility. R2 Facilities undergo comprehensive annual audits to ensure they are following the best practices established in the R2 Standard. Learn more about R2 and sustainable management of electronics at https://sustainableelectronics.org.

R2 Standard—a call to action

The R2 Standard was developed in response to the growing challenges surrounding safe and sustainable management of used and end-of-life electronics. In 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency convened a multi-stakeholder process to create a voluntary, market-based mechanism for ensuring best practices in electronics recycling. What emerged from that process was the “Responsible Recycling practices for Use in Accredited Certifications Programs” (R2) Practices. First published in 2008, the R2 Standard set the industry bar for responsible electronics recycling.

A revision to the Standard (R2:2013) was released in 2013, with greater emphasis on testing and repair of used electronics. The positive impact of R2:2013 was twofold. In addition to the environmental benefits of extending the life of reusable products, responsible reuse has provided tremendous social benefits by helping to bridge the digital divide around the world through making affordable used devices accessible to people without the resources to purchase new products.

The most recent version of the Standard, R2v3, released in 2020, goes even further in raising the global bar with enhanced requirements for data security, traceability, down- stream accountability, legal compliance, and environmental health and safety. The R2 Standard continues to grow worldwide, with almost 1,000 R2 Certified facilities operating in 32 countries.

Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is responsible for the development and oversight of the R2 Standard. Through the R2 Certification Program and other initiatives, SERI works to create a world where electronic products are reused and recycled in a way that promotes resource preservation, the well-being of the natural environment, and the health and safety of workers and communities. Learn more about R2 and sustainable management of electronics at www.seriR2.org.