Company Name and page strapline

Our business generates electronic waste (e-waste) as we replace network and office IT equipment and our customers upgrade their mobile phones. Some of this waste is potentially hazardous and must be disposed of responsibly.

We encourage customers to return old handsets for reuse or recycling by offering incentives and raising awareness (see reducing impacts of our products and services). We resell used network equipment where possible, and equipment that cannot be resold or reused is broken down into separate materials for recycling.

Managing network e-waste
We periodically replace network equipment at our base stations to keep up with advances in technology. This helps us provide the best service for our customers as well as giving us the opportunity to install new, more energy-efficient equipment to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations. However, upgrading our network also generates electronic waste.

Vodafone has a strong record of recycling the vast majority of our network waste. In our mature markets, we often have a choice of expert e-waste recycling contractors and can rely on them to comply with international regulations on e-waste (see environmental management).

However, this is becoming more challenging as we move into emerging markets with limited facilities to recycle and manage electronic waste. Finding the most sustainable solution in these markets is not always easy. For example, we may have to choose between:

• Allowing e-waste to be processed within the emerging market despite a lack of suitable facilities, and helping to build recycling capacity for the future
• Or transporting e-waste back to mature markets for processing, which enables the use of high-quality facilities but increases carbon emissions and does not help to build capacity in emerging markets.

Building capacity in emerging markets
Increasing access to communications in emerging markets can make a significant contribution to development. But these markets often lack adequate facilities to recycle or dispose of electronic equipment responsibly when it reaches the end of its useful life. We are committed to building capacity in emerging markets to manage both e-waste from our networks and end-of-life mobile phones from consumers.

Our research in India and Kenya found that e-waste is often considered a resource rather than an environmental issue in these markets, with a network of informal repair and recycling businesses recovering valuable materials from old equipment. This informal sector largely comprises of untrained collectors and processors, and facilities are often quite basic. Awareness of risks to the environment and human health from poor management practices is low and there is a lack of effective regulation.

Collaboration is essential to develop effective processes to manage e-waste. We are engaging with other ICT companies, for example through our involvement with the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, to share best practice and learn from others’ experiences.