UN E-Waste Report Urges More Attention to Design, Production Practices
Insufficient attention is being paid to reduction of e-waste and to poor practices during design and production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), the U.N. reported Tuesday. The report cited a need to engage more with the private sector to…
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address businesses' responsibility in EEE production. The U.N. said its activities on e-waste are centered mostly in Africa and Asia, less in Europe and “significantly less” in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Africa and Asia have long been a hub for near-end-of-life and end-of life “legally and illegally imported EEE,” it said. It advised focusing on repair and refurbishment activities, supporting new business models and reducing or eliminating taxes on reuse and repair operations. It pushed supporting member states and "supranational entities" such as the EU in tracking and containing precious and rare-earth metals used in EEE and efforts to identify the link between e-waste and natural resource exploitation. It said the U.N. should help inform member states by expanding national data collection and information-sharing.