The Influence of Eco-Investment on E-Waste Recycling-Evidence From EU Countries

Abstract

Waste electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest growing waste stream internationally. Due to its physical characteristics, e-waste is a suitable subject for the development of recovery, repair, and recycling policies, prolonging products’ life cycle for as long as possible, and is an objective pursued by the specific mechanisms of the circular economy. From the point of view of economic development models, e-waste management is one of the areas with significant potential for the implementation of the circular economy. The circular economy is analyzed through a set of 10 indicators that can be found in the Eurostat database. In this paper, we focus on the relationship between two main indicators with significance for this topic (e-waste recycling and eco-investment) and their evolution in European countries. An econometric model regarding the influence of eco-investment on e-waste recycling in EU member states will highlight the impact of circular economy indicators and the importance of promoting the reduce-reuse-recycle paradigm, especially for e-waste. A panel analysis was performed on data from European Union (EU) countries for the period (2008–2018). The analysis uses e-waste recycled per inhabitant as the determined variable and eco-investment per inhabitant as independent variable. The results of the econometric analysis performed show that, although all EU member states benefit from eco-investment, there is a group of countries that have already achieved a high capacity of e-waste recycling, while others should increase eco-investment further.

Is Europe on the Way to Sustainable Development? Compatibility of Green Environment, Economic Growth, and Circular Economy Issues

“…On the one hand, MWM focuses on reducing the environmental impact of waste, and on the other hand, it pursues the recycling and reuse of certain materials. Owing to the fact that it reduces the pressure on natural resources in some situations, such as e-waste, specialists consider it to be an urban mine for certain industrial and precious metals [74][75][76]. In addition, MWM generates business opportunities, which implies the appearance of new companies in the business ecosystem of each country, as well as new jobs [77][78][79].…”

The reuse of electronic components from waste printed circuit boards: a critical review

“…On the one hand, WEEE contains a large number of components that can have harmful effects on the environment and humans, and its indiscriminate handling and informal recycling can make WEEE a global public and environmental health problem [3][4][5][6] . On the other hand, due to its physical properties, WEEE is ideally suited for recycling and can bring great benefits when recycled 6,7 . This makes WEEE an attractive secondary resource and environmental pollutant at the same time 8 .…”

“…[3][4][5][6] On the other hand, due to its physical properties, WEEE is ideally suited for recycling and can bring great benets when recycled. 6,7 This makes WEEE an attractive secondary resource and environmental pollutant at the same time. 8 Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs), which contain a large number of high-value components and toxic substances, are a critical component of all EEE and an important target for WEEE disposal.…”

The influence of government ideology on the rate of e-waste recycling in the European Union countries

“…This study contributes a pioneering analysis in the literature by being the first to explore the influence of government ideology on e-waste recycling rates. Previous research (Boubellouta and Kusch-Brand [ 8 ], Yilmaz and Koyuncu [ 9 ], Constantinescu et al [ 10 ]) has overlooked government ideology as a factor impacting e-waste recycling, and this study addresses this gap by introducing a new determinant affecting e-waste recycling rates. As far as our knowledge extends, no empirical research has investigated the relationship between government ideology and e-waste recycling rates.…”

“…Their findings indicated that, globalization and its three sub-components exert a favorable influence on the e-waste recycling rates in 30 European countries. Meanwhile, Constantinescu et al [ 10 ] examined the effect of eco-investment on e-waste recycling in 24 EU countries from 2009 to 2018 and found that eco-investment per capita had a positive impact on e-waste recycled per capita during the estimation period.…”