Rigid data-security regulations in Europe will present opportunities for businesses that are prepared, and discarded mobile devices in Australia create untapped potential for materials recovery.
Australia: There are more than 23 million unused but not-yet-discarded phones in the Land Down Under, according to electronics collection company MobileMuster. ABC News Australia reports on the untapped potential of those devices. The report cites a figure estimating one in six people reuse or re-gift their old mobile devices while about one in 10 recycle them.
China: Half the mobile device users in China replace their device every 18 months, but only a fraction of those devices are recycled. According to a China News report, just 2 percent of the roughly 1 billion unused mobile phones in the country have been properly recycled, with data security fears and a lack of financial incentives to resell old phones playing into the low figure.
European Union: New data-security regulations take effect in 2018, and the IT asset disposition (ITAD) industry is determining how the changes will impact businesses. In a NAID-Europe seminar last week, industry representatives compared the upcoming European changes to the implementation of health information privacy laws in the U.S. and said companies that prepare will have a competitive advantage.
United Kingdom: A panel discussion in the U.K. explored how certain measures in Europe’s Circular Economy Package could affect electronics recycling. Business sustainability website Edie.net reports on the discussion, which concluded some of the EU directives could prioritize device reuse over recycling.
