DIME – RAL2 Conference 2009 on:Eco-innovations and global sustainable development

Maastricht April 28th 2009

Origins of the paper

Telecom Institute project (ECOTIC)

StEP project (Ewaste institutions, UNU Bonn)

Rebound effect project (BARTICE)

Objectives of the paper

1) Introduce one part of the ECOTIC project

(ICT firms and (genuine) green growth)

2) Introduce a public policy that might help

overcome the barriers for ICTs to contribute

to (a genuine) green growth

3) Discuss how can evolutionary economists contribute to (a genuine) green growth

0) Genuine green growth = ?

Development: BAU = economic focus Sustainable development = BAU?

Growth: of GDP Green growth = …

(Genuine) green growth = ?

Takes into account the pressures exerted by human societies on natural ecosystems

Source: Common & Stagl (2006), Ecological Economics, p. 87.

Acknowledges the risks of threshold effects

Balances economic priorities with environmental ones: not BAU!

Paves the way for a sustainable development

Allows us to decouple development from the consumption of the services of natural ecosystems

1) What role for ICTs?

Source: Hilty (2008: 147) , IT & Sustainability, BOD.

The contribution of ICTs to green growth

How ICT firms did it:• Desk based research part of ECOTIC project• Methodology: …

Results • Most jumped on the green IT bandwagon• Clear focus on energy efficiency• Risk of greenwashing (BAU)• Risk of rebound effects

2) The barriers for ICTs to contribute to green growth…

Source: Hilty (2008: 147), IT & Sustainability, BOD.

Rebound effects

Technological progress makes equipment more efficient.

Less resources are needed to produce the same amount of product using the same amount of equipment (ceteris paribus).

However… not everything stays the same. E.g. demand can increase because a product

rendered more efficient will sell more (cheaper or better quality).

Example of a rebound effect caused by ICTs

My new car consumes less energy thanks to ICTs

I drive longer distances (my driving preference is

income elastic)

Part of the energy saving is gone

This how the RE is measured: A RE of 10% means

that 10% of the energy efficiency improvement

initiated by the technological improvement is offset by

increased consumption.

Berkhout, P.H.G., Muskens, J.C., Velthuijsen, J.W. (2000), Defining the rebound effect, Energy Policy, 28, 425-432.

Example 2: Pollution leakages

GHG leakages: the case of old

refridgerators

Ewaste leakages: the accelerated

obsolesence of ICT products and the

illegal export of their hazardous waste

What a computer contains

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USA exports enough e-waste each year to fill 5126 shipping containers (40 ft x 8.5 ft). If you stacked them up, they'd reach 8 miles high - higher than Mt Everest, or commercial flights.

Destinations

of ewaste

Source : UNEP, Vital Waste Graphics.

2) … and the policies to overcome these barriers

The WEEE directive and the rebound effect (pollution

leakages):

Successful take back systems

Job creation

A failure to prevent illegal exports

Failure to foster ecodesign

3) Evolutionary economists and (genuine) green growth

?

Evolutionary economists & green growth

Business as usual?

How can we help make ICTs contribute

to (genuine) green growth?

one suggestion…

Investigate the sources of

destructive destruction.

Any other suggestion?

Thank you for

your attention.

Thank you for your attention…

Public policies

• 2002 : more than 1 billion

computers in the world, 130

millions of news ones.

• Basle convention on

transboundary waste (1989)

• In France: today HH generate

13 kg/an/hab., out of which less

than 4 kg is recycled.

WEEE: 1,7 Mt/y

(50% from HH).

A 24 kg computer

requires 1,8 tonnes

of raw materials.

The European WEEE directives

Directive RHOS 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of

certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic

equipment

Directive WEEE 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and

electronic equipment are designed to tackle the fast

increasing waste stream of electrical and electronic

equipment and complements European Union measures on

landfill and incineration of waste.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/index_en.htm

WEEE directive: 5 principles

1) Polluter pays

2) EPR (extended producer responsibility)

3) « 1 to 1 »

4) Eco-organisms

5) Quantified targets4 kg / year /cap. by 2006 for HH WEEE

Nantes: how much does recycling actually costs?

Printer + mainframe : 2,70 euros

Mobile phone : 0,50 euro

DVD reader: 1,40 euro

Computer screen : 8 euros

TV : 15,60 euros

Fridge : 28 euros

Basel convention (1992)

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary

Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their

Disposal (signed in 1989)

170 member countries (Parties), aims to: Cf title !

Avoid transfer of HW to DCs

Reduce toxicity of HW

Help DCs to handle HW.

http://www.basel.int/

Ecodesign

Dematerialise

Reduce energy consumption

Facilitate EOL treatment (reuse, recycling, material

recovery)

EC definition:

• Integration of environmental considerations at the design

phase http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/eco_design/ecodesign.htm

EU policy = EUP directive (2005)

A public-private partnership for recycling electronic waste in Africa

In cooperation with the Hewlett-Packard Corporation and Empa, the

Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) is launching a project on WEEE

management improvement within 5 African countries. Objectives:

Protect the people of Africa and their environment from the

damaging effects of e-waste;

Make the e-waste processing sector more viable by creating jobs

and seeking to improve working conditions in this sector.

http://www.dsf-fsn.org/cms/content/view/233/lang,en/

Who is greener?

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Non-linear changes