Title
Sustainability review of the international reverse chain for reuse and recycling of computers
Date Issued
22 September 2008
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
conference paper
Author(s)
Arizona State University
Abstract
We discuss an emerging issue that has as yet received scant attention: the sustainable management of international reverse supply chains. A reverse supply chain is the network of activities involving reuse, recycling and final disposal that follow after a consumer is finished with a product. International flows of products for reuse and materials for recycling are significant and increasing. We review the sustainability issues associated the international reverse supply chain for personal computers. In terms of environment impacts, the existing literature suggests that the risk of leachage of toxic materials from sanitary landfills is low. A recent set of scientific work analyzing informal recycling in China confirms serious emissions and exposures. From a social perspective, an international used market plays a role, though as yet poorly characterized, in increasing availability of Information Technology hardware to lower income groups. Reuse and recycling activities constitute an economic of significant scale and its associated employment should be considered as a factor in societal decisions pertaining to the reverse supply chain.
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ingeniería ambiental y geológica
Economía
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-51849099114
ISBN
1424422728
9781424422722
Conference
IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus