10 Year Anniversary: Middlebury College / WR3A Fair Trade Recycling Summit of 2013

Ten years ago, we had speakers from ISRI, EPA, Basel Convention, and attendees from Panasonic, Tradeloop, and many others gather at Middlebury College for a two-day session on the REALITY of the e-waste trade.  Professors from Middlebury, Memorial University, MIT met to discuss the "poverty porn" ramifications on the so-called "informal sector". The evening dinners and roundtable discussions included the former attorney general of Burkina Faso, a young Emmanuel Nyalete (future public speaker in USA and Europe representing Ghana's Tech Sector), Katharina Kummer-Peiry, Eric Harris, Adam Minter, Kyle Wiens, and others (see below).

We enjoyed coverage from USA Today, VT Digger, Vermont Public Radio, and several college and university papers.

See more coverage here.

Footnote - the evening re-broadcast of the Vermont Edition was canceled due to coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing that afternoon.

USA Today

This summit was inspired by Fair Trade Recycling's "California Compromise" effort of 2010 to partner with Basel Action Network to get California to supply our fair trade recycling partner in Penang, Malaysia.   When that broke down, it led to my most-read blog of the decade (10k+ views), the "California Compromise Sopranos E-Waste Episode".

Used "E-Waste" Exports: United States International Trade Commission.

Report from United States International Trade Commission.

Report on Export of Used Electronic Products. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. The U.S. International Trade Commission announces the release of Used Electronic Products: An Examination of U.S. Exports USITC Publication 4379 Investigation No. 332-528  "End Uses of Working U.S. UEP Exports "An estimated 60 percent of U.S. UEP exports (by value) were exported in tested, working condition in 2011. While it is not always clear whether whole goods shipped to developing countries are intended for resale or recycling, available information suggests that they are most likely resold in working condition where possible, because most working UEPs (particularly more recent models) have a higher resale value than the recoverable materials they contain. According to one study, for example, nearly 90 percent of used personal computers being imported into Peru are resold rather than dismantled for recycling or raw materials, largely because their sales value intact surpassed that of their component materials.11 Similarly, in Ghana, 90 percent of UEP imports in 2009 were either in working condition (70 percent) or repairable to be resold (20 percent) (box 5.1).12 Thus, the end use for most working and repairable personal computers, cell phones, and other UEPs that are exported is initially a secondhand market." (Note: The other 40% includes separated scrap and formal recycling)

Summary:  U.S. sales of used electronic products (UEP) in 2011 were valued at $19.2 billion, and U.S. exports of such products in 2011 made up 7 percent of total U.S. UEP sales, reports the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in its new publication. Completed at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the report is based on data collected through a nationwide survey of 5,200 refurbishers, recyclers, brokers, information technology asset managers, and other UEP handlers. The report covers the year 2011 and focuses on audio and visual equipment, computers and peripheral equipment, digital imaging devices, telecommunication equipment, and component parts of these products. The Commission's findings include: ·         UEPs are collected from consumers and businesses, sorted by value, then either refurbished and resold as working electronic equipment or disassembled into working parts or scrap commodities (metals, plastics, and glass) that are resold as manufacturing inputs in the United States and abroad. ·         The top five destinations for U.S. UEP exports in 2011 were Asia-Pacific countries (primarily Korea and Japan), Mexico, India, Hong Kong, and China, accounting for 74 percent of exports. Just over half of U.S. UEP exports were shipped to countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). ·         Whole equipment for reuse accounted for the largest share of U.S. exports by value in 2011, and tested and working products represented the majority of U.S. exports of whole UEPs. ·         Refurbishing and repair enterprises accounted for the largest share of U.S. exporters of UEPs by value, followed by enterprises involved in wholesaling, brokering, or retailing. ·         Measured by end-use of the products, commodity materials intended for smelting or refining accounted for the largest share of U.S. exports by weight (43 percent) in 2011. ·         U.S. regulations in place in 25 states generally reduce exports by requiring electronics manufacturers to collect used products for recycling. Industry certification programs also likely serve to limit U.S. exports of UEPs. In contrast, limited U.S. capacity to process UEPs in two segments of the industry: cathode ray tube (CRT) glass and final smelting – create incentives to export CRT monitors, CRT glass, and circuit boards destined for smelting to retrieve precious metals. ·         In developing countries, demand for UEPs exported from the United States is strong, but the Basel Convention and some country regulations may limit such exports, since many developing countries agree not to import nonworking UEPs from OECD member countries. View the report at: http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4379.pdf Send to a Friend

REUSE WHILE BLACK: PRESUMED GUILTY!!!

RECEIVED TEN MINUTES AGO.

Interpol is still at it.  They seized 240 tons of used electronics, and announced it is "Waste", seized it.

Has Interpol tested the equipment?

Or is it enough, based on Interpols stunning, possibly racist report of 2009, that the goods were exported by Africans who live in Europe, who paid for the material, which showed "organization", and therefore "organized crime".

Meet the kind of people Interpol is arresting.

INTERPOL operation targets illegal trade of e-waste in Europe, Africa The first INTERPOL operation targeting the illegal trade of electronic waste saw the seizure of more than 240 tonnes of electronic equipment and electrical goods and the launch of criminal investigations against some 40 companies involved in all aspects of the illicit trade. Held in November and December 2012, Operation Enigma saw the participation of police, customs, port authorities and environmental and maritime law enforcement agencies in seven European and African countries. The operation aimed to identify and disrupt the illegal collection, recycling, export, import and shipping of discarded electronic products such as computers, televisions and other electronic devices, before they are dumped in landfills or other sites where they can cause severe environmental harm. Checks were conducted at major ports in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in Europe, a region considered to be a common source of electronic waste being shipped internationally, and in Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria in Africa, a region considered to be a destination for this waste. Almost one-third of the checks resulted in the discovery of illegal electronic waste.  The operation saw many coordinated actions between the participating countries. For example, Belgian authorities seized and returned to the Netherlands some 100 tonnes of illegal e-waste. This information was shared with the Intelligence and Investigation Service of the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, the Dutch Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office. Operation Enigma also uncovered evidence of new concealment methods used by individuals and companies implicated in the illegal trade of electronic waste. This information will help the international law enforcement community work towards the elimination of these illegal activities. “Following INTERPOL's Operation Haz in 2009 and 2010, which targeted the illegal transportation of hazardous material, Operation Enigma is a new example of INTERPOL's continued efforts to fight all types of transnational pollution crime,” said David Higgins, Manager of the INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme. “When it comes to electronic waste, the destination countries bear a disproportionate burden, and we aim to support them as they develop the necessary means to deal with it.” “Addressing the illegal trade of electronic waste calls for substantial cooperation between exporting and destination countries. Operation Enigma showed the international community that there is substantial will among the member countries to cooperate in order to keep ahead of this modern threat to our environment and global security,” added Marco Araújo de Lima, Operations Manager of the Environmental Crime Programme. Operation Enigma falls under the Environmental Crime Programme's soon-to-be-launched Project Eden, which aims to support countries as they tackle the illegal transnational trafficking of hazardous waste through multi-agency interventions and intelligence-led practices.   Best regards / Cordialement / Atentamente / مع التحية INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme INTERPOL General Secretariat 200, Quai Charles de Gaulle 69006 Lyon - Franceenvironmentalcrime@interpol.int www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Environmental-crime/ Follow us on Twitter: @INTERPOL_EC