According to the UN, e-waste volumes are growing five times faster than e-waste recycling. Picture: iStock
With the dawn of 2025, tech companies have already started launching their new devices with innovative new technologies that make last year’s products feel almost old and obsolete and create heaps of e-waste.
In today’s world, electronic devices are essential, improving our lives and connecting us like never before.
While this digital revolution has brought about incredible advancements and conveniences, it also presents the important challenge of managing electronic waste (e-waste) which can have a devastating impact on the environment.
By embracing sustainable solutions and responsible recycling, humans can enjoy the benefits of technology while safeguarding the environment for future generations.
According to the UN, e-waste volumes are growing five times faster than e-waste recycling, with an 82% jump since 2010. E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in South Africa, yet only 7% – 12% of the total volume is recycled formally.
In this context, decision-makers often ask themselves: how can we reconcile the pressing need to innovate and remain competitive with our equally important need to be environmentally responsible?
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The answer lies in reimagining the relationship with technology and embracing an end-to-end approach to sustainability: where resources are valued, products are designed with sustainable materials and waste is minimised.
Some steps to help the technology industry reach that goal include embracing smarter product design to promote circularity, harnessing the power of AI and taking an end-to-end approach.
Product design plays a significant role in reducing waste and thinking about how to reduce production costs in the long term. A sustainable approach begins with creating guidelines for how components are designed before they go on to form complete systems.
Dell Technologies SA’s Doug Woolley said information technology is heavily dependent on finite raw materials, including minerals like lithium or cobalt, which are associated with high energy, water consumption and environmental damage during extraction.
The company said recycled or renewable materials from innovative sources help lower the environmental impact of products and packaging.
“Every pound of steel, aluminium, plastic and copper that we recover is a pound of material that doesn’t have to be extracted from the ground.
“Demand for alternatives is increasing, particularly as they do not deplete additional natural resources and emit fewer greenhouse gases in their production and during the product life cycle,” Dell said.
While the digital revolution has reshaped the world and created new, exciting possibilities, Woolley said its environmental impact can’t be ignored; nor can it continue in the same way.
“The escalating e-waste crisis calls for a shift in the way we approach building and designing new technologies.”
Woolley added that it is time to embrace circularity and resource efficiency and to employ longer-term thinking when it comes to technological innovation.
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