OkCBP

Handling e-waste
responsibly
The key material streams Ericsson
deals with are ferrous metals, precious
metals and plastics. The majority of these
materials eventually re-enter the commodities
market where they are sold to industry
as raw materials.
Operators Airtel and MTN have partnered with Ericsson to help with
the disposal and recycling of electronic waste in Africa.
We provide product take-back
services to our customers globally
as part of our Extended Producer
Responsibility.
According to UN StEP (Solving the global
E-Waste Problem), by 2017 global e-waste
will reach 65.4 million tonnes, one-third
higher than in 2012.
The European Union (EU) Waste from
Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) Directive has been in force since
2005. However, we apply our proactive
approach globally to address the risks
associated with WEEE. These risks include
improper handling and treatment, transport,
emissions, and human health risks.
We conduct product take-back with recycling
partners that meet our requirements,
and are certified according to internationally
recognized environmental and recycling
standards.
World-wide free of charge
Our program is available free of charge to
our customers globally, not only in markets
required by law. For example, in 2014, customers
Airtel Ghana and MTN Africa both
took advantage of the program. Ghana
has one of the largest e- waste dump sites
in the world. Airtel has partnered with
Ericsson to help with the dis posal and
recycling of electronic waste in Ghana,
including telecom equipment from their
networks at end of product life.
We continue working closely with our
customers to ensure their e-waste is handled
and treated in an environmentally
sound manner. Ericsson’s ecology management
program has, since its start in
2005, taken back e-waste from more
than 107 countries.
Increased take-back
When we take back our products, we
recycle more than 98% of the materials.
We continue to expand our ecology management
program involving more countries
and increasing take-back volumes for
our customers. Product take-back and
recycling levels have increased significantly,
from 9,800 tonnes in 2013 to
15,900 tonnes in 2014.
Revised target
Collection levels were below the 2014 target
commitment level of 17% take-back,
especially in non-legislated (i.e. non-EU)
markets. We believe that this target was
overly optimistic and have therefore
reduced the target for 2015 to a global
commitment average of 9%. We are also in
the process of revising our requirements
concerning our ways of working and our
internal processes in this area. Company-wide
training is also being prepared.
We believe these changes will have a positive
impact on achieving the 2015 target
and enable us to substantially increase the
target from 2016 and onwards.
Further, in order to address these challenges,
we have initiated a campaign to
raise awareness and engagement among
our sales staff, as well as customers. For
example, Ericsson is working jointly with
customer MTN Benin in an e-waste project
to take back telecom e-waste as well as
mobile phones, personal computers and
other household e-waste.
Take back process – treated
%
100
80
60
40
20
0
2010
2011
Recycled
Reuse
2012
2013
Energy
Landfill
2014
Source: Ericsson
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Ericsson | Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report 2014
33