For a long time, globally there were unsustainable development patterns which along with climate change compelled the United Nations to come to create 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals) launched in 2015. Collectively, these goals hold governments, businesses and society accountable in terms of following a sustainable path.
Once the SDGs were introduced, companies all across the globe have been making efforts to synchronise their process and operations to include as many SDGs as possible.
Increasing levels of e-waste, and improper and unsafe treatment, and disposal through incineration or in landfills pose significant challenges to the environment and human health, and to the achievement of the SDGs. When treated inadequately, e-waste poses serious health issues since it contains hazardous components, including contaminating air, water and soil, and putting people’s health at risk.
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is the fastest growing and most hazardous waste on the planet. Supporting the UN SDGs and hitting the EU recycling targets of 85% requires real disruption. At FPD Recycling, we are revolutionising WEEE recycling to make it safe, profitable and sustainable.
Let’s take a closer look, specifically at SDGs 8, 12 and 13, and what our team is doing to support them.
- SDG 8 – Decent Work & Economic Growth
SDG 8 promotes the development of safe and secure working environments for all workers. Sound and effective management of e-waste can generate new employment and contribute to economic growth in the recycling sector. Many e-waste disposal and recycling jobs are considered unsafe and unregulated.
Our technical team has developed fully automated, high throughput, FPD (Flat panel displays) robotic recycling systems that transform the recycling of end-of-life flat screens and laptops. We offer end-to-end automated solutions allowing for the best possible material recovery rates and the safest human and environmental outcomes.
With our unique technology, our subscription-based customers can safely depollute WEEE, eliminating the requirement for manual removal of hazardous mercury tubing from TVs and Monitors.
- SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption
SDG 12 aims to achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all waste throughout the life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks.
Almost 360 million FPDs were sold per year from 2012 to 2019, with the growth rate increasing over the last three years. However, according to the UN, 54 million metric tonnes of WEEE were generated in 2021, the majority of which was discarded. With a growing population, an increasing number of people are consuming growing amounts of goods and it is imperative that production and consumption are made more sustainable. We must drastically reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, repair, recycling and reuse.
We ensure that e-waste is recycled, in a safe, sustainable process driven by AI-powered extraction, reducing the amount of e-waste ultimately ending up in landfills.
- SDG 13 – Climate Action
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste are three interlinked emergencies driven by human activities. Despite a temporary reprieve due to the pandemic, preliminary data shows that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continued to grow in 2020, and that 2015-2020 was the warmest six-year period on record. Domestic material consumption per capita, food waste and e-waste all continue to rise around the world. Addressing these crises require major structural transformations in the way people live, work, produce and consume.
Many people are unaware but 90 per cent of the raw materials of electrical goods can be recycled. FPDs contain many valuable materials from the common metals (aluminium, iron, steel or copper). All of which can be safely and efficiently recovered to be reused after the hazardous parts are removed. Our goal is that every flat screen in the world becomes a valuable commodity rather than a hazardous waste.
Our innovative recycling technology, the FPD PRO® provides the same or better quality of reclaimed materials, as manual disassembly in the fraction of time and without exposing workers and environment to the toxic substances.
FPD Recycling was established from the need to provide recyclers with a safe, efficient and profitable solution to deal with the growing problem of hard to recycle e-waste. We are promoting a truly circular economy by leveraging the latest technology to create safe, sustainable and flexible automation solutions for all forms of difficult and hazardous e-waste.
If you want to find out more about the work we do or our technology, contact pobrien@fpdrecycling.com.
