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Led by Apple, Best Buy, Dell and DirecTV, the consumer electronics (CE) industry set a new record in 2013 by recycling 620 million pounds of electronics in the US, more than double the total of three years ago, according to the Consumer Electronic Association's Third Annual Report of the eCycling Leadership Initiative.

After almost two years of research and collaboration with a variety of partners, social enterprise Fairphone is pleased to announce it has successfully established the first pilot supply chain for Fairtrade-certified gold for the electronics industry. Fairphone is now the world's first Fairtrade-licensed consumer electronics manufacturer to support responsible gold mining in Peru with the production of the Fairphone 2.

Electronic recycling is forecasted to grow at an annual rate of nearly 24 percent through the rest of the decade, according to a new report.

The United States and China contributed most to record mountains of electronic waste such as cellphones, hair dryers and fridges in 2014 and less than a sixth ended up recycled worldwide, a U.N. study said on Sunday. Overall, 41.8 million tonnes of "e-waste" - defined as any device with an electric cord or battery - were dumped around the globe in 2014 and only an estimated 6.5 million tonnes were taken for recycling, the United Nations University (UNU) said.

Developing coutnries are trying to defeat a policy that would require knowledge and consent to hazardous waste material being shipped into that country

Most recently, social responsibility has become an issue as reports of labor abuses and unethical manufacturing practices have come to light. With growing consumer awareness of all of these issues, finding a path to sustainability is becoming increasingly important.

Recycling is paying off for Apple - to the tune of about $43.6 million in gold. According to Apple's environmental responsibility report, the company recovered 2,204 pounds (a little over a ton) of gold from recycled electronic devices last year from its take-back initiatives and other recycling events. The take-back initiatives allow customers to drop off Apple products at stores or mail them in to be recycled.

According to Apple's environmental responsibility report, the company recovered 2,204 pounds (a little over a ton) of gold from recycled electronic devices last year from its take-back initiatives and other recycling events. The take-back initiatives allow customers to drop off Apple products at stores or mail them in to be recycled.

NPR 2010 waste ending up in different countries where it is toxic to the env. and workers.

Increasing the recycling rate to 100 percent industry-wide could generate an estimated $10 billion in cost savings and natural capital benefits, according to Trucost. For example, creating better closed-loop processes for reusing gold would have a bottom-line benefit of almost $100 million compared with $14.6 million at current recovery levels, according to the Trucost data.

Large quantities of fish are consumed in India on a daily basis, which generates a huge amount of fish "biowaste" materials. In an attempt to do something positive with this biowaste, a team of researchers at Jadavpur University in Koltata, India explored recycling the fish byproducts into an energy harvester for self-powered electronics

Rising incomes and high demand for electric and electronic equipment (EEE) in East and South-East Asian countries have resulted in e-waste generation increasing by two thirds during 2010-2015, says a new study published by the United Nations University (UNU). The average increase in e-waste across 12 countries analysed - Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam - was over 60 per cent during the five-year period totalling 12.3 million tonnes.

The Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act recently introduced in Congress would prohibit exporting electronic waste to other countries. Although 27 states and the District of Columbia have e-waste recycling laws, there are no federal laws governing the practice.

for the first time, emerging countries are throwing out even more electronics than we are in the U.S. Actually, the trend started in 2012.

The paper industry is pushing back against the "paperless" workplace and trying to persuade corporate decision-makers that paper can be greener than you'd think. Sustainably produced paper doesn't harm the planet and is arguably better than technologies that produce electronic waste, industry reps say. "We have to be careful when we pin one product against the other and say it's better. It's a tricky thing to do if you don't have all the data to back it up," says Phil Riebel, president of industry group Two Sides U.S

End-of-life electronics worldwide are expected to increase 33 percent in just five years, reaching 65.5 million metric tons annually by 2017, according to data from Solving the E-Waste Problem (StEP) Initiative, a UN-backed alliance

Australian researchers say they have found a way to recycle plastic shopping bags into high-tech carbon nanotubes. That might reduce manufacturing costs in such fields as electronics, medicine and energy.

Disney researchers in Pittsburgh have discovered a way to store energy in paper-like materials that can later be harvested via rubbing, sliding or tapping. The resulting energy can then be used to turn on LED lights, activate an e-ink display, or turn on other low-power devices.

Scientists from IBM Research say they have accidentally discovered a new class of polymer materials that could deliver cheaper, lighter, stronger and recyclable materials ideal for electronics, aerospace, airline and automotive industries.

Italian company Bio-on developed a new bioplastic that is intended to reduce the environmental impact of e-waste from smart phones, computers, and other devices. The substance serves as a platform for electronic circuits and is 100% biodegradable.

Consumer electronics recycling in the US went up from 30.6 percent in 2012 to 40.4 percent in 2013