Industry Insights & Trends: The E-waste Industry (DP IB Business Management): Revision Note

Market size and growth

• E-waste means unwanted or discarded electronic products

  • Examples include old phones, computers, TVs, tablets, cables and game consoles

• The amount of e-waste produced worldwide is very large and increasing quickly

  • Around 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced globally in 2022

  • This is expected to increase to over 80 million tonnes by 2030

• Only a small share of e-waste is recycled properly

  • Just over 20% is formally collected and recycled

  • The rest is often dumped in landfill or handled informally

• This creates strong growth potential for the e-waste processing industry

  • Governments want higher recycling rates

  • Firms see opportunities to recover valuable materials

• The global e-waste recycling industry is worth tens of billions of dollars and there is a large and fast-growing global market

Leading companies and brands

• The industry includes two main types of big players

  • Electronics recyclers / IT asset disposal firms

    • Collect, sort, wipe data and pre-process devices

  • Metal smelters/refiners

    • Recover high-value metals (gold, silver, palladium, copper) from e-waste

• Some companies operate globally, while others focus on one country or region

Examples of major international companies

• These companies often work with governments, electronics manufacturers and large businesses replacing IT equipment

Specialises in recycling copper and electronic materials	Operates recycling facilities in many countries
Recovers precious metals such as gold and silver from electronic waste	Runs large facilities that recycle circuit boards and electronic parts

Product types and consumption trends

• E-waste processors do not usually sell finished products to consumers

  • Instead, they sell materials recovered from old electronics to other businesses

• Main outputs from e-waste processing include:

  • Metals, such as copper, aluminium, gold and silver

  • Plastics, which may be reused or recycled

  • Reusable devices or parts, if products still work

• Demand for e-waste processing is increasing for several reasons

  • People replace electronic devices more often

  • New technology becomes outdated quickly

  • There are more electronic devices per person than in the past

• Governments and companies are also under pressure to:

  • Reduce landfill waste

  • Meet environmental targets

  • Show responsible behaviour (CSR)

Market challenges

• Collection is a major challenge

  • Even though lots of e-waste exists, much of it is not collected properly

    • In 2022, only 22.3% was formally collected and recycled globally

  • This limits how much material formal recycling firms can access

• Informal recycling creates problems

  • In some countries, e-waste is recycled using unsafe methods

  • This can cause serious health and environmental damage

    • The World Health Organisation has warned that millions of children and adolescents may be at risk from exposure linked to informal e-waste recycling

    • Research in Ghana found significant lead exposure risks among people working/living near informal recycling facilities

  • Informal recyclers often have lower costs, creating unfair competition

• Profitability can be uncertain

  • Recycling profits depend on prices of metals like copper and gold

  • If metal prices fall, profits may decrease even if recycling volumes rise

• Rules and laws are becoming stricter

  • Governments are tightening controls on exporting e-waste

    • The EU's Basel Convention entries for shipments affects how e-waste moves internationally.

  • Firms must meet higher environmental and safety standards

  • This can increase costs but also protect responsible businesses

Emerging markets and regional insights

• Asia produces the largest amount of e-waste worldwide

  • Nearly half of global e-waste comes from Asian countries

  • Recycling rates are relatively low, so growth potential is high

• Europe has stronger recycling laws

  • Collection rates are higher than in many other regions

  • However, some countries still fail to meet official recycling targets

• Southeast Asia faces serious challenges

  • Some countries receive illegal e-waste shipments

  • Governments are increasing enforcement and banning imports

    • Malaysia has recently moved to a full ban on e-waste imports and, alongside Thailand, has seized illegal shipments

• Africa hosts major informal recycling areas

  • Recycling often takes place with limited safety equipment

    • This creates health risks, especially for children

  • There is growing international pressure to improve conditions