The fact that 65 billion euros worth of raw materials in Europe’s electronic waste remains untapped is revealed by a joint study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the “Cradle to Cradle Electronics” initiative. Said study was presented at the IFA in Berlin. Every year, around 1.6 million tonnes of critical raw materials such as copper, aluminium, lithium, cobalt and rare earths find their way into new devices. At the same time, more than 13 million tonnes of electronic waste are generated in the EU, whilst only around 43 per cent is collected.
E-waste could become a strategic resource
One striking example is smartphones: Hundreds of millions of unused devices are stored in European households, holding valuable materials that could be recovered and reused. When products are discarded, shredded, or exported outside regulated recycling channels, these resources are often lost. Recovering them could help reduce Europe's dependence on imported raw materials while supporting a more circular economy.
Rethinking product design
The study argues that electronics should be designed with reuse, repair, and recycling in mind. Following the "cradle-to-cradle" approach, products should be:
- Easy to repair and upgrade
- Modular and simple to dismantle
- Free from problematic substances
- Designed to recover materials and components
E-waste should be viewed as the valuable raw material resource that it is. Demand for critical raw materials continues to rise, turning better e-waste management into an integral part of Europe's industrial and environmental strategy.
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