Editor's Choice


Effort required to manage ICT e-waste

13 September 2017 Editor's Choice News

ICT electronic waste (e-waste) is a major global challenge. There is a growing trend amongst South African companies to embrace ways to reduce their environmental footprint impact and to take steps where possible, to adjust their culture and business practices accordingly.

The ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ philosophy is steadily increasing within South African companies, as stakeholders across the supply chain consider the overall effect of e-waste on the environment. Effective waste disposal is often dependent on local government programmes and a robust value chain that ensures that a company’s recycling efforts have the desired outcome and that they can be assured that, every year, less and less of their waste ends up in landfill sites.

However, uncertainty still exists around exactly how disposal takes place. Media reports, for example, have exposed practices whereby the Western world sends e-waste to dump sites in Africa, where components are burned in local communities, releasing harmful toxins, to retrieve valuable materials such as steel, copper and gold.

Demand for electronics is unlikely to slow down. In 2014, the world produced over 41 800 000 metric tons of e-waste and this amount is predicted to grow at a rate of four to five percent annually, making this another growing, rather than diminishing, threat to sustainability.

Arrow Altech Distribution’s joint venture partner, USA-based Arrow Electronics Inc, has a business division – Arrow Value Recovery Services – that specialises in lifecycle ICT product extension that aims to reduce the environmental impact of e-waste by recycling, where possible, ICT products through lifecycle programmes that recondition and return ICT product ranges to the business ICT stream. During 2016, Arrow Value Recovery Services diverted over 95 000 tons of ICT e-waste from landfill sites and into salvaged ICT product that was resold into developing markets.

Arrow Altech Distribution’s support for this initiative is led by Stephen Schoeman, the branch manager based in the Western Cape. Through its group companies, it has entered into tender submissions where legacy as well as redundant ICT equipment is sold to Arrow Value Recovery Services for lifecycle extension and resale.

“The main benefits for companies using this service is a reduction in their environmental impact and, in some instances, getting money back for an asset they have written off,” says Schoeman. “It is similar to the practice of donating redundant equipment to schools and charities, except through this programme the equipment has a longer lifespan.”

Another initiative by Arrow Altech Distribution in this regard is that it works with a local ICT company where it supports the purchasing of legacy smartphones destined for landfill sites, and assists with the reconditioning and refurbishment of these products that are then sold on to the consumer marketplace through online and other distribution channels.

“In the absence of any definitive legislation regarding e-waste,” says Schoeman, “we have a strong sense that those companies that adopt effective programmes and illu-strate that their sustainability efforts have a positive long-term effect, will enhance the goodwill of their stakeholders and eventually help to establish industry norms around e-waste reuse.”

Arrow Altech Distribution partners with a local e-waste recycler that is ISO 14001 certified to process all remaining e-waste not utilised by the above primary channels.

For more information contact Stephen Schoeman, Arrow Altech Distribution, +27 (0)21 555 1884, [email protected], www.arrow.altech.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Active event tracking using a novel new technique
Editor's Choice
SPAES (single photon active event sensor) 3D sensing, developed by VoxelSensors, is a breakthrough technology that solves current critical depth sensing performance limitations for robotics applications.

Read more...
ABB commits to a more inclusive future as it empowers women and youth in engineering
ABB South Africa Editor's Choice
Through structured development, inclusive hiring, and focused empowerment, ABB Electrification is shaping a more equitable and dynamic future for the engineering industry.

Read more...
RF agile transceiver
Altron Arrow Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The AD9361 is a high performance, highly integrated RF Agile Transceiver designed for use in 3G and 4G base station applications.

Read more...
Unlocking the next frontier – women leading digital transformation in South Africa’s technology sector
Editor's Choice
As South Africa celebrates Women’s Month, it is an ideal time to reflect on the critical role women are playing in shaping the country’s technology sector.

Read more...
SmartRAID 4300 Series
Altron Arrow DSP, Micros & Memory
Microchip’s disaggregated architecture leverages host CPU and PCIe infrastructure to overcome traditional storage bottlenecks in scalable, secure NVMe RAID storage solutions.

Read more...
Why GNSS positioning precision is enabling the next wave of IoT applications
iCorp Technologies Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
While high-performance GNSS implementations are achievable with few limitations, most real-world applications must balance power consumption, form factor and accuracy requirements.

Read more...
The evolution of 4D imaging radar
Altron Arrow Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
4D imaging radar is redefining automotive sensing with unmatched precision, scalability and resilience and, as global adoption accelerates, this technology is poised to become a cornerstone of autonomous mobility.

Read more...
5G RedCap: Unlocking scalable IoT connectivity
iCorp Technologies Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
As 2G and 3G networks rapidly sunset across the globe, the Internet of Things (IoT) market faces a critical challenge: how to maintain reliable cellular connectivity without the complexity or cost of full 5G.

Read more...
Bluetooth wireless SoC
Altron Arrow Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
he EFR32BG29 wireless SoC from Silicon Labs is a highly efficient, high memory, low-power, and ultra compact SoC designed for secure and high-performance wireless networking for IoT devices.

Read more...
Is RFoIP technology the future for signal transportation for Satcom applications?
Accutronics Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
RFoF technology continues to be used for successful IF signal transportation in the ground segment and there is widespread belief that it will be for some time to come, especially for critical communications applications.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved