Page 67 - Implementation of the ITU-T International Standards for the Sustainable Management of Electrical and Electronic Equipment: On the road to a circular economy in Argentina

Implementation of the ITU-T International Standards for the Sustainable Management of
Electrical and Electronic Equipment: On the road to a circular economy in Argentina

5 Conclusions

Waste electrical and electronic
equipment (WEEE) has increased
because of technological evolution
and rapid urban development.
During the COVID-19 pandemic,
technologies, especially digital
technologies, have been critical
for the development of all daily
activities. During 2020, the
production and the disposal of
electrical appliances were reduced
because WEEE collection points
were closed or disabled for months. Therefore, it is expected that the amount of waste will
increase in the post-pandemic period.

It confirms the need to promote and develop a national policy for sustainable production and
consumption, based on the Circular Economy principles, which implies the implementation
of technologies, the promotion of structured data collection, its analysis, and knowledge
management as decision-making tools.

The telecommunication industry has arguably the greatest leadership opportunity under
the circular design to maximize the lifetime of equipment through re-use, easy repair, and
dismantling.
In terms of components, the production and import arrangements must lead to products whose
materials are not harmful to humans or the environment, that allow their recovery once WEEE
is generated, and promote the highest fair-trade standards by ensuring a developed, formal
value chain under labour standards in line with national regulations. Recovered materials must
be integrated into value chains, strengthening inclusive Circular Economy models and fair
transition.

The project strengthened the WEEE management systems in line with the interest in the
circularity model in Argentina and the region, to promote the development of strategies to
prevent and minimize waste by the manufacturing industry and the generating players, together
with more aware citizens to keep materials in productive cycles as long as possible.

The Circular Economy model has demonstrated its capacity to boost economic reactivation.
When implemented in a planned, conscious, organized, collective, and collaborative manner,
it also shows relevant impacts on social, environmental and economic aspects, this being the
most outstanding result in terms of opportunities for the industry to the full implementation
of the ITU-T Recommendation in Argentina and to encourage the region to implement the
different Recommendations of the ITU Connect 2030 Agenda.
The study confirms the relevance of having updated and specific databases, as well as inventories
and a guide for their development, together with specialized guides to improve the re-use,
treatment, recovery, and take back of WEEE into production models, this being one of the main
components for building a national strategy and specific regulations.

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