Circular Electronics Day

Products that are functional should be given a second chance
before being collected as waste, and services that enable this
should be made visible and used by more people. In addition,
the prerequisites for the reuse and recycling of IT products and
other electronics must be improved. Therefore, all participants i
n the project ELAN, “Electronics should be reused”, have
designated the 24th of January as #CircularElectronicsDay.

“The purpose of #CircularElectronicsDay is to highlight the
positives of reusing products and for people to share ideas
and tips under the hashtag. We can all inspire each other to
reuse more and make sure that products have a second life
instead of collecting dust in a drawer”, says Andreas Rehn,
criteria developer for the sustainability certification TCO
Certified.

By following these simple steps, we can all reuse more
electronics:

1. When buying electronics, check if the product you want is available second hand or if a product with a sustainability certification is available
2. Erase old data and sell your products to give them a second life
3. If you do not want to sell your old products, hand them in to a recycling facility or another collection point

It is not just consumers that can make a difference. By
demanding reused products or products that are designed
for reuse, large companies and the public sector can also
contribute.

To be able to sell electronics second hand, the products
need to be attractive to the buyer and have the potential
of functioning well for a reasonable period of time. The
rapid development in technology means that products
quickly become outdated unless they are leading edge
when they are new. Therefore, it is important that the
products are high-performing and that hazardous
substances are replaced with safer alternatives.