scte long read
Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose and Recover
public or governments demand an eco- phone. The phone would be made from high recyclable materials with a design for disassembly and reuse. And we might need a refundable disposal tax at the time of sale.” An incredible idea and a golden opportunity for both government and the tech industry to collaboratively do the right thing. Recycling is a two-pronged approach, argues James George. “The consumers have got to be part of this solution as well. Do you incentivize them? Do you plead with their moral compass? Do you let consumers offload this stuff in a kind of digital amnesty? What is the mechanism that allows you to get it all back? All of that requires effort, because we’re challenging the current status quo.” A status quo in the west that goes all the way back to colonial mining outposts in c19th Africa and Asia and the establishment of powerful supply chains that still exist – and thrive - today. Supply chains that are being invested in heavily by China (and until lately, the US) as foreign aid projects, building up soft power overseas. Breaking such supply chains, with millions of people and dollars invested and dependent on their success won’t be easy.
There are two issues preventing movement in this area – attitude and technology. Recovering copper and other rare earths that have already been produced from existing hardware is possible, but difficult, expensive and not happening at any kind of scale to incentivize consumers to do it. For some time now Apple have been offering a low-key incentive to return old handsets for a discount on new ones, promoting Liam and Daisy, disassembly robots that access the rare earths that powered your phone, but efforts like this have yet to really move the needle. The 2018 YouTube promo featuring Liam and Daisy at work generated some very creative feedback in the comments about eliminating waste, demonstrating again there is no shortage of creative solutions. Progress in large companies stalls because of process, rarely because of a lack of good ideas, for example: “Given US value chains, I doubt Apple makes any money from this. The ABB machines are expensive and the volumes are small. I see a couple million dollars in these specialised robots in the video. Worse, they take only the most valuable components, leaving the same toxic waste disposal problem. This is nowhere near the scope and scale of what’s needed. I would humbly suggest that the
attics garages to provide lithium to the EV industry for the next 70 years.”
Victoria maintains that the demand for rare earth minerals far outweighs the rate we can mine and process them, resulting in not only a shortfall but a point in the not-too-distant future where there will no more economically recoverable rare earths left. In 2021, Goldman Sachs announced that copper was the new oil, highlighting the urgency of the matter. D’Arcy agrees. “The demand for copper is likely going to double in the next 10 years,” she said. “That shortfall equates to about six million tons.” Compared to rarer earths than this, copper is abundant, she added. “So why don’t we just open up a new mine? There’s plenty of copper in Chile. But it’s in the Andes at around 5000ft, so there are logistical challenges, and it takes roughly about 16-20 years to open up a mine.” Added to that, accessible, recoverable gold is likely to run out in 18 years and there will be no more silver or platinum by 2050. Don’t put off that engagement for too long will you?
Recycling
“It’s the fundamental piece that has to change.” Victoria D’Arcy, Circular Economy Strategist, Podcast Host, All Things Circular
However, we are at a generational
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May 2025 Volume 47 No.2
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