Introduction
Thalmic Labs is a software- and hardware-company primarily based in Canada. Its primary product is digital devices aimed for the Canadian sector. The company caters to individuals and organizations, connecting people and providing network capabilities. It has partnered with relevant companies in Canada and North America, such as Intel and Microsoft.
Its main program of e-waste management is effective, which includes “cradle to “cradle,” and recycling of electronic materials and devices known as the “Buyback” program, where the company buys back used cell phones and gadgets. ThalmicLabs buys back used mobile devices from customers, no matter how aged they might be, and even offers some financial incentive. The company recycles old phones so they can be useful again. The refurbished phones are redistributed or can be reclaimed by original owners through its warranty certificate. Phones that can be repaired into good working condition are sold in the global market at reasonable price. A portion of the refurbished phones and gadgets are also donated to low-income high school students, which is a part of a philanthropic program of ThalmicLabs known as the 1Million Project. The other devices that cannot be repaired are recycled by independent firms, which then dismantle the devices to recover plastics and metals to be used as raw materials for other products such as jewelry or car parts (ThalmicLabs, 2017).
Aim for zero waste
Zero waste is now a philosophy and design principle for the 21st century that treats all discarded materials as resources for the creation of new goods (ZWIA, 2009). This is also considered the next greatest innovation in waste management. It has become popular being a solution to the perplexing problems of landfill scarcity, global climate change, and resource depletion.
Diversion rates for zero waste programs are typically set at 90 percent in recognition that it may not be possible to remove all wastes from the waste stream. The goal is to be really close to 100 percent.
Factors involved in recycling include the volume of e-waste, the technologies to be applied, and the rules imposed by authorities.
Waste Stream Identification
Waste
Waste stream includes glass, plastics, and metals which are mostly found in e-waste.
Estimated or Actual Volume
Electronic products are a combination of numerous modern technologies and are composed of many different materials and components.
ThalmicLabs recyclable products include cell phones of all kinds from various manufacturers, mobile devices like tablets, laptops, i-pads, and different accessories for mobile phones and gadgets that include cell phone cases, chargers/power supply, earphones/headphones, and so forth. All these recyclable electronic materials, discards, and e-waste are only a portion of the 2.5 million tons of e-waste produced in the United States annually (ThalmicLabs, 2017).
Targets
Key factors in the recycling of e-waste are collection, sorting and recovery, recycling and disposal. This is shown in the figure below.
Figure 1 – Recycling of e-waste
Used electronics components contain significant amounts of hazardous materials. Other materials include gold, palladium, copper, and plastics. Several obsolete electronic devices, which are clean and functional, can be reused if identified and sorted out by experts.
With the development of electronic technologies, the residual value of outdated electronic devices decreases rapidly. Both the recovery value of parts and the machine resale value drop rapidly with the age of the machines. Old equipment is more difficult to recycle than newer equipment. In general, this old equipment contains a larger variety of materials, such as different plastics, and a larger amount of hazardous materials, such as lead.
Devices and equipment that fail the plug-and-play test may be dismantled for component resale and reuse. Recovery of individual components from e-waste is more complex than the simple plug-and-play test that can be used for a complete system.
The primary goal of this process is to separate different types of materials that can be recovered and sold. The materials include glass, plastic, printed wiring board, precious metals, iron, lead, aluminium, copper, and others.
Plastics in electrical and electronic equipment are highly visible, for instance in telephones, televisions and personal computers. However, there are also many plastic components, hidden from view, that provide the infrastructure to connect and support modern lives.
Thermosets are used in electronics for circuit wiring boards, electrical switch housings, electrical motor components, electrical breakers. Thermoplastics are used in a wide variety of applications within computers and other electronic devices. These resins can be re-melted and formed into new products. As a result, thermoplastics show better recyclability than thermosetting plastic resins. After metals, plastics have the greatest potential salvage value from electronic products. The plastics used in electronic products are mainly “engineering thermoplastics”, which have high intrinsic value (Kang, 2005).
Compared to the limited number of different metals used in electronics, plastics that come from resin are introduced in circuit boards. Plastics can be combined with other raw materials to resist high temperature when applied in circuits. This versatility acts as a barrier to plastics recycling. As is the case in other recycling programs, the key factors for success are a steady supply of high-quality feedstock, ready customers for recycled resins, and the existence of a market for recycled materials. Recyclers need a constant supply of the same type of plastic, but the actual situation is very difficult because each product uses different types of resins. This was used by a number of technology companies, like Hewlett-Packard. However, Hewlett-Packard combined plastic with other resins.
The Coke oven process
Nippon Steel Company developed a different process for plastic chemical recycling, the coke making process, which is essentially the carbonization of coal. The process conditions for carbonization in a coke oven are suitable for the recycling of waste plastics, since plastics have a property to change without applying high temperature.
About one third of the material in electronic devices is plastic, but only 25 percent of that is clean, homogeneous, and free from contaminants. In the United States, plastics can be reused for a variety of materials (Kang, 2005).
Metals Recycling
At the close of the twentieth century, large volumes of electronic waste were produced in the United States, including aluminium; 4,500 tons, steel; 19,900 tons, copper; 4,600 tons of precious metals, such as gold palladium, platinum, and silver. After being sorted in the metals recovery facility (MRF), the metallic components are generally sent to metal to smelter processing. Smelter boards are sent to the smelter for extraction of copper and other precious metals.
Effective electronics recycling requires that consumers both have access to recycling programs and have knowledge of such programs. This essentially means that consumers need to know where to take their electronic devices when they become obsolete or defunct. Success of this kind of activity needs advertising. For ThalmicLabs, the company website regularly informs its customers regarding their recycling program, such as the buy-back and the “cradle-to-cradle”.
The second year can see a change in the collection method, as consumers might be too busy to focus attention on the company’s recycling activity. A special drop-off event is a one or two day event that is usually held over a weekend to maximize resident participation. In this collection option, the quantity of devices collected will depend on the extent of participation by consumers and the weather during the special event period. A special drop-off event is considered to be an ideal recycling program when experts from the repair industry work together with the program, because these experts cans ort out the most valuable items for resale, repair, and reuse.
The third year sees a permanent collection method to reduce operating costs. This model is the most convenient for option is essentially a year-round collection event. The municipal solid waste collection site can be used for collection of e-waste, which then requires negligible costs.
Communication Strategies
ThalmicLabs has an effective communication strategy, which is through the internet and its website where they provide regular important information about the recycling activity and other buy-back programs. Also, the moment a customer purchases cell phones or gadgets, he/she is informed of the program that includes warranty/insurance options when the devices need refurbishing or returned to the company as the customer would like to change to new device or gadgets.
This model is known as the point-of-purchase collection, where ThalmicLabs as a retailer of electronic products serve as the collection agency and consumers can bring old electronic equipment to the company when they purchase new electronic equipment or gadget. This can be implemented as either a permanent or special drop-off event, depending on the company’s preference. Sprint’s active participation is essential for the success of the method.
Several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have established “take-back” collection systems for collecting used electronic products from consumers. Companies like IBM, Dell, HP and other computer manufacturers collected unwanted computer and related products regardless of the original manufacturer. Some manufacturers require a minimum volume of used electronic products to be collected and restrict the pickup location.
Risks and Problems
The conventional and primary disposal method for e-waste or waste coming from electronic/ mobile devices or gadgets, in Canada and the United States is disposal in landfills and incineration. Increasing the need for landfills is a burden to the environment. Additionally, with the shortage of landfill capacity and an increased concern about environmental sustainability, effective recycling methods should be applied. Traditional methods like landfills and incineration are not anymore applicable as they are environmentally harmful. One aspect of the strategy should include recycling and reuse of EOL electronic products.
Waste destination is very important. In rural areas, a special drop-off event is the most effective collection method. Special drop-off events that take place at retail stores is the single most successful collection method, when measured by the percent of participants or by cost per participant. An appropriate collection site can be selected by taking into consideration the geographic location, the ease and convenience to consumers, and the population distribution. For special drop-off events, electronic equipment retail stores or large public parking lots can be used for the collection site.
Training
Personnel responsible for recycling have to be trained. They have to be knowledgeable in disassembling the device, which components are valuable, and which ones require special care in handling. To acquire more economic benefits, important and expensive parts should be given focus.
Another purpose of the training is for the personnel to know how to remove hazardous materials and separate the metals. Laminated metals are removed and disposed of because of the difficulty in removing the laminated film from the metal. Proper selection of the order for de-manufacturing steps is key to output efficiency.
Aspects in Training
Cell phones and mobile devices technology is growing. This industry relies on high-tech, qualified labor, because a mobile device or cell phone is a mini-computer itself, which is a combination of modern electronic technologies. People who will take charge in dismantling the devices must have special training in recognizing and separating the different metals and plastics found in the circuit board.
Conclusion: Regular Reviews
The phrase “reduce-reuse-recycle” is a common phrase nowadays because it has positive effects on firms’ performance. Some organizations consider it as corporate social responsibility, but at ThalmicLabs it is part of their business cycle. They buy back the products they sell to reduce its negative impact on the environment.
Environmental sustainability is one of the goals of ThalmicLabs, a technology company that sells various types of electronic devices and gadgets. Its recycling and buy-back programs have gained attention and studies from the sector. However, there are some lacking information and data regarding their environmental activity, which should be given focus.
The electronic recycling infrastructure of ThalmicLabs should be properly in place and thoroughly checked once in a while so that recycling and buy-back programs are successfully conducted. The recommendations set here are for the company to examine and apply, if necessary. The methods and infrastructure for collection and processing are not yet well established. Collection processes and recycling methods should be coordinated to avoid backlog and to eliminate criticism from the general public and clients that the “buy-back” and recycling programs are just for show.
References
Kang, H. (2005). Management of end-of-life electronic products within environmental benign manufacturing framework: Analysis of infrastructure, cost, materials flow, and decision-making (Doctoral thesis, University of California). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.sothebysinstitute.com:2195/dissertations/docview/305030876/fulltextPDF/913FA35C7A194752PQ/1?accountid=13957
ThalmicLabs. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.thalmic.com/team
ZIA. (2009). Zero waste business recognition program. Retrieved from http://zwia.org/standards/zw-business-principles/b/
