Intelligent CXO Issue 05 | Page 62

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

AFRICA APAC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST NORTH AMERICA

THE REALITY OF THE WORLD ’ S ELECTRONIC WASTE CRISIS REVEALED

musicMagpie and its US brand , Decluttr , have revealed the dangers of our growing e-waste problem by visualising its scale compared to beloved landmarks and cities around the world .

According to the 2020 E-waste Monitor , the world is set to produce approximately 57 million metric tonnes of e-waste in 2021 , which is enough to cover 52 % of the earth ’ s surface end-to-end in smart phones .
The report also predicts that global e-waste will reach 74 million metric tonnes by 2030 – making e-waste the world ’ s fastest-growing domestic waste stream . Fuelled by factors such as population growth , digitisation , upgrade culture , products with short replacement cycles and few options for repair , e-waste is increasing three times faster than the world ’ s population .
Despite this growing environmental issue , research conducted by musicMagpie found that an alarming four in five ( 79 %) Brits do not know what e-waste is . When given the definition of e-waste , nearly a third ( 31 %) didn ’ t believe it damaged the environment or were unsure , while 45 % weren ’ t aware it impacted the climate emergency .
If sent to landfills , e-waste can leak harmful chemicals into the soil , or if incinerated , fumes release chemicals into the air , contributing to global warming . Not only this , but everything from our phones to our laptops rely heavily on precious materials to operate , which are limited resources and directly impact climate change when being extracted from the earth .
Using data from the Global E-waste Monitor to create a series of powerful images and video , musicMagpie visualises the astonishing volume of monthly e-waste production scaled to the size of the most well-known , iconic landmarks and landscapes around the world .
• In the UK , for example , it is reported that the country produces a shocking 133,141 tonnes of e-waste in a single month and is equivalent in weight to 11 Shards .
• When comparing e-waste production to areas in the environment most at risk of destruction from the effects of global warming , it was found that the world produces enough e-waste in a single month to cover Antarctica almost two times over and the Amazon Rainforest almost four times over .
“ There ’ s a stark contrast between the beauty and history represented by each nation ’ s cultural icons and the reality of what we ’ re doing to our country and planet by not properly recycling our tech ,” said Steve Oliver , CEO of musicMagpie , “ Electronic waste is a problem that ’ s not discussed as often as it should be , however , we can all do our bit to become a part of the solution .”
“ While technology will always be present in consumers ’ lives , it ’ s important that we find better ways to keep it from negatively impacting the environment ,” said Oliver . “ We can do this by promoting a circular economy , whereby tech device life cycles are greatly increased through recycling , refurbishment and reuse .” x
62 www . intelligentcxo . com