In2tec welcomes UK Government's pledge to tackle throwaway society
Sustainable electronics leader In2tec has praised a UK Government pledge to support the nation’s transition from a throwaway society to a circular economy.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed announced the formation of a Circular Economy Taskforce to tackle stagnating recycling rates and unacceptable levels of landfill and incineration by eliminating waste and pollution through keeping resources in use for as long as possible.
Mr Reed said: “It’s time to end Britain’s throwaway society – the status quo is economically, environmentally, and socially unsustainable. Moving to a circular economy is a pivotal moment for British businesses to innovate, grow and lead the world, so we can slash waste and strengthen supply chains.”
Emma Armstrong, Sustainable Electronics Ambassador and Group Commercial Director at In2tec, welcomed the Circular Economy Taskforce that will focus on repairing and remanufacturing products to extend their lifespan, as well as recycling and reusing components to lower consumption and reduce resource use – making Emma herself an ideal candidate to be appointed as an active member.
She said: “The growing scarcity of vital resources and the rising tide of landfill waste in this country is choking growth and has a terrifying environmental impact.
“For too long, the UK has lagged other countries in its commitment to recycling and sustainability even though the current linear economy – where we take, make, and dispose of products – is no longer economically or ecologically tenable.
“We are running out of resources such as rare earth elements, aluminium, copper, and steel, which are vital to the advancement of medical technology, renewable energy, and state-of-the-art engineering. It’s fantastic to see this challenge being tackled head-on by championing innovations that can facilitate sustainable manufacturing and providing direction and certainty for businesses to plan ahead.”
Emma adds that creating a culture where reuse and repair are the norm, particularly in the electronics sector, requires sustainability to be at the forefront in the design stage.
“Embracing tech products designed to be disassembled and modular can slash the consequences of ewaste cost-effectively,” she said. “Manufacturers must embrace technology that allows manufacturers to remove components and materials from existing electronics at the end of their useful life and reuse them.”
In2tec allows manufacturers to economically and ecologically remove components from ewaste and reuse them with its twin technologies ReUSE® and ReCYCLE™.
In2tec’s signature ReUSE® and ReCYCLE™ comprise a closed-loop process allowing manufacturers to remove components from existing electronics at the end of their useful life and reuse them.
ReUSE® is a suite of materials, processes and design principles used to manufacture printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) to the same environmental and functional specifications as traditional methods. ReCYCLE™ is the ultra-low energy process for unzipping PCBAs – the foundation of nearly all technology – to the original bill of materials (BoM).
The technology's versatility allows global commercialisation and a vast reduction in the overall energy used to manufacture and process when it reaches its end of life, something that is impossible when using conventional PCBA processes or materials.
The UK has the technology in ReUSE® and ReCYCLE™ to lead the world in fully reusable and recyclable electronics for the benefit of the planet, whilst creating long-term employment and significant fiscal opportunities across the supply chain.