For centuries, business was done without consideration for the environment. This resulted in damage to natural resources. However, environmental issues have become a matter of public concern and as knowledge regarding environmental damage has become more complete, the pressure to change our current behaviour has increased. Much of this pressure has been targeted towards industry, which is often identified as a major source of pollution.
These days, companies have to respond to a wide range of environmental pressures. The unfortunate truth is environmental concerns have the capacity to affect both the short- and long-term health of each firm, as no firm is immune to environmental risk. Traditionally, environmental issues were viewed as a constraint to businesses, but the business community has now realised that efficient management in the environmental arena can benefit the entire company and open new opportunities for increased profit through improved production and operating efficiencies, reduced liability exposure, increased competitiveness and from a generally enhanced corporate image. Organisations are definitely developing a new green mentality and we are on the verge of an “environmental revolution”.
To this effect, the ITA, a non-profit body representing the ICT industry, stands at the threshold of a new era in its endeavours to guide its members and industry partners to implement environmentally sound solutions that will ultimately address the growing e-waste problem in South Africa. The ultimate aim of the ITA e-waste initiative, under the banner of the “ITA Recycling Guarantee”, is to contribute to strategies aimed at reducing global warming, to improve the living conditions for local residents based on better managed waste streams, resource protection, reduced health risks and an improved economic situation.
The ITA is working closely with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), which mandated the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) to study the situation of e-waste recycling in developing and transition countries, of which South Africa is one of the partner countries.
The South African “Knowledge Partnership and Capacity Building Project” is one of three projects worldwide, and the focus locally is on the development of viable business models that ensure e-waste recycling adds to job creation and poverty alleviation, while remaining in line with the waste minimisation efforts of the government and international treaties such as the Basel Convention.
The R07 Congress
Global economic growth under the condition of limited raw material and energy resources require technological and institutional innovations for the materials life cycle. High recovery rates of materials from pre- and post-consumer wastes, their optimal re-integration into various industrial production chains and high-energy efficiency in all phases of the life cycle are prerequisites for sustainable development. This was the focus of the R'07 World Congress on the Recovery of Materials and Energy for Resource Efficiency, held from 3 - 5 September in Davos, Switzerland. The R'07 World Congress is the eighth event in this series and started in 1993. The R'07 World Congress addresses experts from science and engineering, from supply and recycling industries, from public authorities and international organisations in order to stimulate closer cooperation of the various disciplines and stakeholders across the materials life cycle.
Electrical and electronic equipment pervades modern lifestyles and its usage is growing rapidly around the world. Quick obsolescence and newer functionalities are resulting in huge quantities of these products becoming waste. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) contains both valuable and toxic materials and has been subject to regulations in most industrialised countries. Likewise, emerging economies are producing more and more WEEE and therefore e-waste management is becoming a major issue in transition and developing countries.
The ITA e-waste sub-committee attended this conference as representatives of the South African ICT industry and contributed greatly to specific workshops dealing with electronic/electrical waste recycling in both the developed and developing world. The sub-committee comprised representatives from the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), University of Pretoria, Hewlett Packard, Anglo e-Waste and the ITA permanent office. The focus of these workshops was aimed at identifying major challenges and needs associated with the management of e-waste in countries with different cultural and economic backgrounds. The knowledge gained by the ITA delegation will be used to further enhance efforts by the ITA to implement a national e-waste management system in the coming months.
The ITA arranges for the collection of your e-waste throughout South Africa by recyclers using environmental best practice. For more information, contact the ITA on 0861 111 350 or ita@ita.org.za.
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Telephone: (0861) 111 350
http://www.ita.org.za
“Uniting the ICT Industry”
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