The Circular Economy’s Role in the Suppply of Critical Minerals

A recent US Senate hearing discussed how American manufacturing can address the challenges and opportunities of recovering critical minerals from their products. There was a call for industry and policymakers to work together to confront the scarcity of critical minerals. Critical minerals are defined as mineral resources for which there are no viable substitutes, are essential to the economy and whose supply may be disrupted.   

Critical Minerals and Electronic Devices 

Five elements that are used widely in the manufacture of electronic devices including PCs and smartphones are: cobalt, tantalum, tungsten, tin and gold. Cobalt is considered a critical mineral while tantalum, tungsten, tin and gold (known as 3TG) are actually considered conflict minerals. Conflict minerals are defined as “a mineral mined in an area of armed conflict and traded illicitly to finance the fighting.” 

These elements have multiple uses in the manufacture of electronic devices but the most common use of each is as follows; tantalum is commonly used for capacitors on circuit boards, tin in solder, and tungsten used in phone vibration mechanisms. Gold is commonly used in connectors and cobalt in the production of batteries.  

Carbon Emissions from IT

It’s important to be aware that by 2040, the production and use of electronic devices is predicted to account for 14% of greenhouse gas emissions. Put into context, that equates to one half of today’s global transport sector emissions. Contributing to the emissions of each electronic device are the various lifecycle stages, from resource extraction, to multiple stages of manufacture, to transportation, to device use and finally disposal. It is the production stage that is the most significant – the production of smartphones, for example, accounts for 80% of carbon emissions.  

It is difficult to measure the amount of energy required to manufacture each product, as various materials and components must be processed and assembled by different manufacturers along a hugely complex supply chain. Furthermore, the vast majority of electronics manufacturing takes place in China and other East Asian countries, where coal and other fossil fuels account for most of the electricity supply. This means that any progress made towards energy-efficient design rarely compensates for the impact of production when a device is replaced with a brand new one. Figures show that a smartphone would have to be used for between 25 and 232 years before it becomes environmentally beneficial to replace. It’s evident that between dwindling critical minerals and increasing emissions, our approach to technology needs to change.  

Adopting Circular Attitudes towards IT 

The recent Senate hearing discussed how the recycling of critical minerals is imperative to the US supply chain, but it’s important to acknowledge that there are other solutions beyond recycling. 

In the hearing, recycling was recognized as an essential factor in the future supply of critical minerals with the caveat that materials have to first actually enter the system in order to be recycled. Recycling therefore, has its limits. The other stages of the waste hierarchy such as reduction and reuse, on the other hand, can provide a number of solutions to the scarcity of critical minerals.  

Limiting the climate impact of technology can be achieved by simply extending its lifespan, by repairing devices where possible, or by purchasing second-hand or refurbished products. Reusing a computer can save up to 20% more energy than recycling. This is because the recycling process is energy intensive and can involve multiple steps from transporting, sorting, smelting (which uses massive amounts of energy), dismantling and separating parts into material categories, and then onto different streams. We’ve previously written about how IT recycling is no longer enough for the tech industry. In short, the very best recycling equipment currently available can recover just 90% of raw materials for reuse, and it’s still an incredibly energy intensive process. Moreover, recycling is currently unable to recover critical raw materials at a commercial scale, such as cobalt. 

By choosing to repair, reuse or refurbish, you can keep valuable components in use and in region, avoiding the dreaded materials loss that happens during the process of hardware shredding and melting. Refurbished devices do not mean a sacrifice on quality, speed, or reliability. In fact, our IEEE published 2019 study proved that refurbished technology performs as well as new in every case and is even capable of outperforming new hardware with the correct component upgrades and configuration. 

The fact that the US Senate raised the issue of critical minerals demonstrates how important it is. All sectors of American industry need to pull together to prevent the very dangerous consequences of a shortage in critical minerals. Adopting more circular attitudes towards IT hardware will go a long way in helping to solve the challenges that we face in the US when it comes to critical mineral mining, processing, refining, and reprocessing.  

It’s clear the way forward is to focus on repairing and reusing IT so that we can conserve these scarce natural resources. Here at Techbuyer, we believe in extending the product lifecycle of IT equipment wherever possible, in order to reduce the amount of useful technology entering the planet’s waste stream. As a sustainable IT solutions provider with the circular economy at its core, our stock of high-quality refurbished IT equipment can give your business a competitive and sustainable edge. Learn more about what we can offer you and your business here.