This thesis explores how to apply an approach of strategic sustainable development to e-waste management through a case study at the National University of Rwanda (NUR). Interviews and surveys were conducted, and workshops and presentations were hosted during a site visit to NUR. No e-waste management system is in place in Rwanda, while the country is working to increase ICT capacity. At NUR, awareness of e-waste challenges is low, and management currently consists of storage and limited low-tech pre-processing. Suggested actions were prioritized and delivered to NUR in an action plan under three project categories: project core, e-waste management, and e-waste education and research with the aim of establishing a pilot project of e-waste management to make NUR an e-waste leader. A Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development was used to ensure e-waste is managed in a strategic way that leads to an e-waste management approach that could exist in a sustainable society. This research concludes that strategic sustainable e-waste management is possible at NUR and presents six theme areas to guide the development of an e-waste project with a systems perspective.

The management and the generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are rehearsing as one of the villains of this humanity and future generations. Were not enough the imminent wave of rampant consumerism towards new technologies, bumped in the absence and/or inefficiency of public policies that should regrar and regulate the disposal of such equipment after the ending of his life. Currently WEEE are framed second NBR 10.004:2004 - Solid Waste, waste as Class I - Hazardous, not having a specific legislation at national level for this. In this context, this work aims to describe the evaluation of the management of WEEE in Santa Maria - RS making a comparison with the national scenario, global trends and develop a proposal for Public Policy that will list the involved in the process and the role each. To this end, this study was based on research of WEEE at the municipal and national levels, with the technical branch companies in different locations and contexts visits, and analysis of a company in Santa Maria that is licensed for receiving, sorting and disposal end of WEEE and the results of a questionnaire for the same. The city of Santa Maria has not make the management of WEEE in accordance with the guidelines recommended by the Law nº12.305 and Decree 7.404 and furthermore, knowing that generates an average of 10.9 tons per month, only 34 % of WEEE generated in the municipality was allocated correctly. It is evident a considerable degree of ignorance about the subject, especially as to what to do with your junk and who would be responsible for providing a correct destination for the same. Large portion of this unconformity and / or misinformation is the responsibility of the municipality and other public agencies responsible for enforcing federal law. Thus, it is noted the need for developing a public policy proposal for the management of WEEE in Santa Maria. / A gestão e a geração de resíduos de equipamentos eletroeletrônicos (REEE) estão se ensaiando como um dos vilões da presente humanidade e das futuras gerações. Já não bastasse a eminente onda de consumismo desenfreado para com as novas tecnologias, esbarramos na inexistência e/ou ineficiência de políticas publicas que venham a regrar e regulamentar a destinação destes equipamentos após o findar da sua vida útil. Atualmente os REEE estão enquadrados segundo NBR 10.004:2004 Resíduos Sólidos, como resíduos classe I perigosos, não possuindo uma legislação a nível nacional específica para tal. Nesse contexto, este trabalho tem como objetivo geral a avaliação da Gestão dos REEE no município de Santa Maria-RS efetuando um comparativo com o cenário nacional, as tendências mundiais e elaborar uma proposta de Política Pública que venha a elencar os envolvidos no processo e o papel de cada um. Para tal, este estudo fundamentou-se na investigação dos REEE nos âmbitos municipal e nacional, com visitas técnicas às empresas do ramo em localidades e contextos diferentes, além da análise de uma empresa de Santa Maria que está licenciada para o recebimento, triagem e destinação final dos REEE e dos resultados de um questionário aplicado pela mesma. O município de Santa Maria ainda não efetua o gerenciamento dos REEE de acordo com as diretrizes preconizadas pela Lei nº 12.305 e Decreto 7.404 e, além disso, sabendo-se que gera uma média de 10,9 toneladas por mês, apenas 34% dos REEE gerados no município foram destinados de forma correta. Evidencia-se um considerável grau de desconhecimento quanto ao assunto, principalmente quanto a o que fazer com o seu lixo eletrônico e de quem seria a responsabilidade de providenciar um correto destino para o mesmo. Grande parcela desta inconformidade e/ou desinformação é de responsabilidade do município e demais órgãos públicos responsáveis pela fiscalização e aplicação da legislação federal. Assim sendo, é notada a necessidade de elaboração de uma proposta de política pública para a gestão dos REEE no município de Santa Maria.

The manufacturing industry faces a rapidly growing problem which is the increased stream of electronic waste. Due to the fast evolving technology, the innovation cycles have been shortened and the demand for various electronic products has increased. This development requires increasingly advanced material combinations and assemblies to meet both product and customer requirements, which at the same time leads to products becoming more difficult to recycle. Ericsson is one of the world's largest companies in manufacturing and sales of telecom equipment and wants to gain knowledge in how their products are recycled, and how their products should be designed to facilitate the recycling process. As of today, Ericsson has a document from 2004 with design guidelines with a broad focus on the environment. The purpose of this master thesis has been to develop these guidelines, but with a focus on when the product has reached its end of life and is to be recycled. This has been done through an initial collection of secondary data from the literature regarding design for recycling guidelines. These guidelines have been evaluated using a mixed method, where both qualitative and quantitative data have been collected, analyzed and compiled. The biggest focus has been on discussing with recycling experts to get a deeper understanding of what is important for their process to work as efficiently as possible. Finally, a product evaluation has been performed where 3 products have been evaluated against the final set of guidelines to identify areas for improvement. This thesis has provided 30 design guidelines with a focus on increasing the efficiency of the recycling process of Ericsson's products. These guidelines cover 3 different areas: Material and material combinations, Fasteners and connectors, and Labels and markings. It is recommended that these guidelines should be implemented as early as possible in Ericsson's product development process to have the greatest impact on the final design of new products. / Tillverkningsindustrin står idag framför ett snabbt växande problem, nämligen den ökande mängden av elektroniskt avfall. På grund av den snabbt utvecklande teknologin så har innovations cyklerna förkortats och efterfrågan på olika elektroniska produkter ökat. Denna utveckling kräver allt mer avancerade materialkombinationer och sammansättningar för att möta både produkt- och kundkrav, vilket samtidigt leder till att produkter blir allt svårare att återvinna. Ericsson är ett av världens största företag inom tillverkning och försäljning utav telecom utrustning och vill i större utsträckning kartlägga hur deras produkter återvinns, samt hur deras produkter bör designas för att underlätta återvinningsprocessen. I dagsläget har Ericsson ett dokument från 2004 med design riktlinjer med ett brett fokus på miljö. Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att utveckla dessa riktlinjer, fast med ett fokus på när produkten nått slutet på sin livslängd och ska återvinnas. Detta har genomförts genom en initial insamling av data genom en litteraturstudie gällande designriktlinjer för återvinning. Dessa riktlinjer har utvärderats med en empirisk studie, där både kvalitativ och kvantitativ data har insamlats, analyserats och sammanställts. Störst fokus har legat på att diskutera med experter inom återvinning för att få en bra förståelse vad som är viktigt för att deras process ska fungera så effektivt som möjligt. Slutligen genomfördes ett test där tre produkter utvärderades med de slutliga riktlinjerna för att identifiera förbättringsområden. Detta examensarbete har resulterat i 30 design riktlinjer med fokus på att öka effektiviteten av återvinningsprocessen av Ericssons produkter. Dessa riktlinjer berör tre olika områden: Material och material kombinationer, Fästelement och kopplingar samt Etiketter och markeringar. Det rekommenderas att dessa riktlinjer implementeras så tidigt som möjligt i Ericssons produktutvecklingsprocess för att få störst inverkan på den slutliga designen för nya produkter.

<p>Due to the political, economic, and technological changes brought on by the processes of globalization, since the mid-1990s, civil society groups have increasingly chosen to target corporate actors. This thesis focuses on the circumstances under which civil society groups have chosen to target corporate actors in addition to and instead of states. How corporate actors respond to activist demands and the factors that shape how they approach corporate social responsibility and the environment are also examined. This thesis uses a political economic opportunity structure approach to understand the relationship between civil society groups and corporate actors. While activist networks are increasingly targeting corporate actors, they also continue to target the state to achieve their objectives. This two prong strategy has been effective for activist networks because it allows them to take advantage of weaknesses found in both political and industry opportunity structures. However, while the impact of activist networks is shaped by the structural environment in which they operate, activist networks also create new opportunities through the strategic use of frames and tactics to draw attention to and create support for the issues with which they are concerned. Two case studies involving the global environmental movement and corporate actors are examined in this thesis. The first case study focuses on a global network of activists opposed to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the network’s interactions with states and a variety of corporations in their campaign to prevent the introduction of GMOs into the environment. The second case study examines the activities of a network of activists concerned about the environmental impacts of electronic waste (the e-waste network). The e-waste network sought to ensure the proper disposal of electronic waste and increase the sustainability of the electronics industry through the targeting of states and corporations.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

An evaluation of electronic waste (e-waste) management in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality was undertaken in this study. The aim of the study was to evaluate the electronic waste management practices such as generation, storage, collection, transportation and disposal in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. This was achieved through questionnaires distributed to residents in Namakgale and Phalaborwa residential areas, structured interviews with municipal workers under the Environmental Health Division and observation in the landfill site and collection points were also used in gathering information on the electronic waste management. In the study it was found that a wide range of electronic waste is generated and lighting equipment, small household equipment and ICT equipment are disposed of in large numbers in the study area. The municipality is responsible for waste management in the study area. Electronic waste generated is stored, collected and disposed together with all other domestic waste in the area. No segregation or recycling at household level was evident. It was also found that the municipality does not have a formal relationship with electronic waste recycling companies to eliminate the flow of electronic waste from households to the landfill site. A lack of own regulatory and by-laws on electronic waste was noted and seemed to be one of the challenges the municipality is facing. The findings highlighted the low level of community awareness regarding electronic waste. The study concluded that there is a lack or absence of good management of electronic waste storage, collection, transportation in the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. From the study, it is recommended that there is a need for meaningful community awareness, environmental education, formulation of by-laws and formal recycling projects for effective electronic waste in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

An evaluation of electronic waste (e-waste) management in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality was undertaken in this study. The aim of the study was to evaluate the electronic waste management practices such as generation, storage, collection, transportation and disposal in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. This was achieved through questionnaires distributed to residents in Namakgale and Phalaborwa residential areas, structured interviews with municipal workers under the Environmental Health Division and observation in the landfill site and collection points were also used in gathering information on the electronic waste management. In the study it was found that a wide range of electronic waste is generated and lighting equipment, small household equipment and ICT equipment are disposed of in large numbers in the study area. The municipality is responsible for waste management in the study area. Electronic waste generated is stored, collected and disposed together with all other domestic waste in the area. No segregation or recycling at household level was evident. It was also found that the municipality does not have a formal relationship with electronic waste recycling companies to eliminate the flow of electronic waste from households to the landfill site. A lack of own regulatory and by-laws on electronic waste was noted and seemed to be one of the challenges the municipality is facing. The findings highlighted the low level of community awareness regarding electronic waste. The study concluded that there is a lack or absence of good management of electronic waste storage, collection, transportation in the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. From the study, it is recommended that there is a need for meaningful community awareness, environmental education, formulation of by-laws and formal recycling projects for effective electronic waste in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master Of Technology In Business Administration, Department of Entrepreneurial Studies & Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / The phenomenal growth in the number of electronic devices in use has given rise to a huge increase in the volume of electronic waste (e-waste) generated. Electronic waste is comprised of toxic materials and chemicals, and if it is not disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, it poses serious risk to the environment and to human health. The perceived limited knowledge about the harmful effects of e-waste and the potential economic benefit of e-waste recycling in South Africa motivated this study. The study area consisted of two large industrial parks in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal; namely, the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex and the adjacent Southgate Business Park. A total of 313 organisations are located within the study area, which is spread over approximately 550 hectares. Based on the findings of the study, it is estimated that the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex and the Southgate Business Park would generate approximately 593 tons of e-waste between the period 2015 and 2020, averaging approximately 119 tons per year. Although South Africa is classified as a developing country, it is the most developed country in Africa, and if one were to extrapolate the potential volume of e-waste generated for five years from the study area to the rest of KwaZulu-Natal’s industrial parks, then in five years, the province’s industrial parks would generate approximately 3 340 tons of e-waste. The study also revealed that there is no effective e-waste management strategy in place within the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex or the Southgate Business Park. A positive finding of the study was that the majority of the organisations surveyed were in favour of a proper e-waste management strategy at both the study sites, and would support the development of an e-waste recycling plant in this industrial zone. / M

With the extreme growth of electronic waste worldwide and in Brazil, there is a huge need for enhancement of recycling processes for this sort of waste. Considering the extremely relevant topic, the main objective of this research is to study about regulations and corporate strategies towards electronic waste recycling in Brazil and to compare it with the European context. The specific objectives are: To analyse the general European scenario concerning sustainability and electronic waste, in order to compare it with the Brazilian scenario; to study the main regulations for the treatment of electronic waste in Europe and in Brazil; to identify the main actors involved in the recycling process of electronics in Brazil; to analyse how some of the main electronics\' manufacturers inform on their websites about actions towards recycling of electronics in Brazil and in Europe; and to study about how some of the main electronics\' manufacturers in Brazil are dealing with the recycling of electronics from both a strategic and operational point of view. With a qualitative nature, the research has different approaches in terms of methodology. Both the part of the European scenario and the part of institutional and legal aspects in Brazil are based on secondary data. The part of the case studies brings an analysis on the websites in Brazil and in the United Kingdom of some electronics\' manufacturers, results from the contact with their customer services in Brazil and a final part of interviews with two of these companies, one of these companies\' recycling partner and a recycling association of electronics. Among the main programmes from the European Commission identified towards a sustainable growth, there is The Europe 2020 Strategy and the 7th EAP. While the European Union has the WEEE and RoHS Directive in terms of legislation, Brazil relies on the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS). Most of the companies analysed do not have a direct link for information about discard on their homepages in Brazil, while some do not have any information on the matter. By contacting the customer service support, some companies have provided divergent information from the websites. It has been possible to observe that many companies do not have proper actions towards the recycling of electronics in Brazil, in addition to not dealing with the residue in a strategic manner. The companies in the United Kingdom have, in general, better actions than the ones in Brazil, with most of the same companies having different actions according to the country. Among the main uncertainties identified in the recycling of electronics, there are: Different recycling technologies; unknown environmental impacts; different product design and composition; unknown reverse logistics costs; variable cost of recycling; rapidly changing nature of electronics; unpredictability about return of items concerning quantity, quality and timing; unknown destination of WEEE; different value of scrap materials; lack of common legislation; complexity of regulations; lack of environmental consciousness and lack of residues\' classification and regulations on the PNRS. / Com o extremo crescimento de resíduos eletrônicos ao redor do mundo e no Brasil, há uma enorme necessidade de aprimoramento dos processos de reciclagem para tal tipo de resíduo. Considerando o tema de extrema relevância, o objetivo geral da presente pesquisa é o de estudar a respeito das regulamentações e estratégias corporativas em relação à reciclagem de resíduos eletrônicos no Brasil e compará-las com o contexto europeu. Os objetivos específicos são: Analisar em termos gerais o cenário europeu a respeito de sustentabilidade e de resíduo eletrônico, a fim de compará-lo com o cenário brasileiro; estudar as principais regulamentações no que tange ao tratamento de resíduos eletrônicos na Europa e no Brasil; identificar os principais atores envolvidos no processo de reciclagem de eletrônicos no Brasil; analisar como alguns dos principais fabricantes de eletrônicos informam em seus websites sobre ações para reciclagem de eletrônicos no Brasil e na Europa; e estudar como alguns dos principais fabricantes de eletrônicos no Brasil lidam com a questão da reciclagem de eletrônicos tanto sob o ponto de vista estratégico como operacional. Com uma natureza qualitativa, a pesquisa tem diferentes abordagens em termos de metodologia. Tanto a parte do cenário europeu como a parte de aspectos institucionais e legais no Brasil são baseadas em dados secundários. A parte dos estudos de caso traz uma análise sobre os websites no Brasil e no Reino Unido de algumas fabricantes de eletrônicos, resultados do contato com o serviço de atendimento ao consumidor de tais empresas no Brasil e uma parte final com entrevistas com duas das empresas, um parceiro de reciclagem de uma das empresas e uma associação de reciclagem de eletrônicos. Entre os principais programas da Comissão Europeia identificados para um crescimento sustentável, há a Estratégia Europa 2020 e o 7° EAP. Enquanto a União Europeia tem as Diretivas WEEE e RoHS em termos de legislação, o Brasil conta com a Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS). A maioria das empresas analisadas não tem um link direto para obter informações sobre o descarte em suas homepages no Brasil, enquanto que outras não têm qualquer informação sobre o assunto. Ao contatar o serviço de apoio ao cliente, algumas empresas forneceram informações divergentes dos websites. Constatou-se que muitas empresas não estão com ações adequadas à reciclagem de eletrônicos no Brasil, além de não estarem lidando com o resíduo de maneira estratégica. As empresas do Reino Unido têm, em geral, ações melhores que as do Brasil, com a maioria das empresas tendo diferentes ações de acordo com o país. Entre as principais incertezas identificadas na reciclagem de eletrônicos, destacam-se: Diferentes tecnologias de reciclagem; impactos ambientais desconhecidos; design e composição de produto variados; custo desconhecido de logística reversa; custo variável de reciclagem; natureza rapidamente mutável dos equipamentos eletrônicos; imprevisibilidade de retorno dos itens em relação à quantidade, à qualidade e ao tempo; destino desconhecido dos resíduos; valores distintos de materiais de sucata; falta de legislação comum; complexidade de regulamentações; falta de consciência ambiental; e falta de classificação e regulamentação dos resíduos na PNRS.

Information technology (IT) is one of the fastest growing product groups on the market today (Babu et al., 2006). This technology has become inexpensive to produce and continues to improve in the areas of memory, speed, operating systems, weight, and audio/visual capabilities (Envirosris, 2000). All of these factors have led to a decrease in product lifespan and an increase in the amount of IT-waste produced. IT-waste contains a number of hazardous materials. If this waste is not managed appropriately it can create serious environmental and human health problems. In Canada, there are no federal policies in place to manage IT-waste. Management of IT-waste has largely been the responsibility of local governments. Consequently, there is no uniformity. A wide spectrum of management approaches ranges from ‘do nothing’ to enacting bans to prohibit this waste from entering landfills. Recently (April 1, 2009), a program (Ontario Electronic Stewardship Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment- OES WEEE) has been created at the provincial level to help with IT management. Residential participation in this program remains voluntary. This research is exploratory and aims at examining the potential for a sustainable integrated waste management (IWM) plan for residential IT-waste, using the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (RMoW) as a case study. A multiple methods approach was employed to gain an understanding of IT-waste issues and to develop a set of sustainable IWM criteria for evaluation of the OES program and RMoW. Methods used to collect data included: a literature review, surveys, plan analysis, direct observation, key informant interviews, and archival research. A number of recommendations apply specifically to Waterloo Region. Others more broadly address local governments across Ontario for better management of residential IT-waste and other e-waste products.

Information technology (IT) is one of the fastest growing product groups on the market today (Babu et al., 2006). This technology has become inexpensive to produce and continues to improve in the areas of memory, speed, operating systems, weight, and audio/visual capabilities (Envirosris, 2000). All of these factors have led to a decrease in product lifespan and an increase in the amount of IT-waste produced. IT-waste contains a number of hazardous materials. If this waste is not managed appropriately it can create serious environmental and human health problems. In Canada, there are no federal policies in place to manage IT-waste. Management of IT-waste has largely been the responsibility of local governments. Consequently, there is no uniformity. A wide spectrum of management approaches ranges from ‘do nothing’ to enacting bans to prohibit this waste from entering landfills. Recently (April 1, 2009), a program (Ontario Electronic Stewardship Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment- OES WEEE) has been created at the provincial level to help with IT management. Residential participation in this program remains voluntary. This research is exploratory and aims at examining the potential for a sustainable integrated waste management (IWM) plan for residential IT-waste, using the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (RMoW) as a case study. A multiple methods approach was employed to gain an understanding of IT-waste issues and to develop a set of sustainable IWM criteria for evaluation of the OES program and RMoW. Methods used to collect data included: a literature review, surveys, plan analysis, direct observation, key informant interviews, and archival research. A number of recommendations apply specifically to Waterloo Region. Others more broadly address local governments across Ontario for better management of residential IT-waste and other e-waste products.