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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

EWIT: Developing a e-waste implementation toolkit to support the recycling and the secondary raw material recovery strategies in metropolitan areas in Africa

Objectives of the commitment

Create a Partnership across Africa and Europe focused on delivering advancements in recycling as a key component of metropolitan areas’ waste management strategy, using e-waste as a pilot to build up a modern and effective reference model. We will maximize recycling opportunities in Africa to generate economic value, increase environment and health protection and protect current jobs while improving their effectiveness and working conditions.
We will generate synergies between Africa and Europe related to technology transfer and e-waste flows monitoring and control, to minimize illegal export from Europe; exploit the available data on waste generated; define and develop the conditions and actions necessary to implement effective waste recycling systems in metropolitan areas; develop standards and benchmarks to improve the e-waste collection and materials recycling.

Description of the activities

The key activities of the commitment will be focused on the following areas:
- Collection: strengthen the knowledge related to e-waste collection systems, best practice and consumer behavior to trial and develop a range of high yielding collection approaches and consumer campaigns for representative demographics across key metropolitan areas in Africa;
- Process Technologies: map the technological options for e-waste recycling, taking into account the current dismantling and material recovery processes and the potential to introduce low environmental impact and cost effective alternatives or complementary technologies;
- Closing the loop: analyze the opportunities related to the use of secondary raw materials recovered from e-waste in local businesses, to enable new opportunities for both the recycling sector in Africa and the downstream industries interested to reduce their dependency from primary resources;
- e-waste Intelligence: collect updated information on the availability of secondary raw materials, particularly Critical Raw Materials (CRMs), in e-waste through quantification of the CRM content of appliances and e-waste arising. Map the options available for the implementation of ICT to improve the channeling of WEEE to appropriate recycling facilities to maximize recovery of CRM and reduce illegal export;
- Financing: analyze the EPR strategy as a mean to support the development of local e-waste management systems, evaluating bottlenecks, preconditions and key enabling factors to make it work in an effective way;
- Dissemination and information exchange: develop an interactive platform for dissemination and information exchange of waste management best practices, benchmarks and case studies thereby raising awareness on behavioral, social, political, cultural and institutional aspects in recycling, and paving the way to new development opportunities.
As told before, the partnership will generate synergies between African and European Municipalities and Governments related to technology transfer and e-waste flows monitoring and control, to minimize illegal export from Europe to Africa; exploit the available data on reliable-waste generated in terms of quantity, material content, future trends, environmental impact and economic recovery potential; define and develop the conditions, actions and business case necessary to implement effective and reliable waste recycling systems in metropolitan areas; develop standards, benchmarks and best practice to drive improvements in the collection, recycling and recovery of materials.

Description of the expected impacts

We aim to improve knowledge on e-waste and other complex waste streams recycling. A coordinated strategic agenda to the definition of a e-waste toolbox, to increase separate collection of e-waste and recycling rates in the medium term. EWIT supports the implementation of the outcome of Rio+20 and UNEP Global Partnership on Waste Management (WM) as the development of environmentally sound WM systems, in line with the Basel Convention, creating the conditions to enable new market opportunities for African and European business. Paucity of addressed data prevents from quantifying the impacts now. We foresee at least 3 projects to implement effective WMS’ will arise from EWIT project in African Metropolitan Areas (AMA), with immediate benefits in health, environment, occupation, legality terms.
EWIT project will contribute in reducing the illegal e-waste export from Europe to Africa of at least 30%.
Key stakeholders: Producers (efficient setup of a model in AMA as a key step to enhance societal acceptance of/confidence in e-goods producers), Local Scrap Dealers/Recyclers (increased volumes/revenues/job creation due to additional material recycling), Municipalities (improved effectiveness of collection, more engaged consumers, value sharing along the supply chain), Downstream industries (improved critical raw materials availability/reduced price volatility), Academia (e-waste flow knowledge, CRM content and recoverability, development of a specific model to optimize WM in AMA), Citizens (effective and cheap take back services, better health/environment/knowledge on individual behaviours on sustainable recycling), Government (tool to develop an integrated WMS, development of local waste recycling industry, focused on SMEs, increased health/environmental protection/economics).

Coordinating organisation & role

Name of the coordinating organisation: ISWA International Solid Waste AssociationCountry: AustriaEntity profile: NGOsRole within the commitment:

ISWA will participate in all the activities and will coordinate the project, ensuring the compliance with the Commitment. ISWA will ensure links to other SIP actions, also through its participation in HLSG, Sherpa Group, Operational Group and specifically OG3, OG4, OG5 of Raw Materials EIP. ISWA will also periodically report to the Raw Materials EIP and keep the Commitment track updated.

Other partners

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.

Name of the organisation: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Fraunhofer will lead the CFRP and GFRP recycling research.
Fraunhofer will perform corrosion tests on the developed materials.
Fraunhofer will work with CIDAUT on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project. Fraunhofer is the Quality Manager of the Consortium and will oversee deliverables and general reporting are produced with the best possible quality following agreed review standards.

Fundacion Cidaut

Name of the organisation: Fundacion Cidaut Country: Spain Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: CIDAUT will lead the research activities on materials recycling and compounding, implementing lab scale demonstrators of each process at its premises and, later, supporting end-users upscale the processes.
CIDAUT will perform mechanical tests, microstructural analyses, injection moulding capability studies on the developed materails, and will work with Fraunhofer on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project.

RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV)

Name of the organisation: RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV) Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: RWTH will implement the novel 3D Generative Preforming process (3D Fibre Spraying) that enables to create high-value long fibre-reinforced 3D preforms for thermoplastic and thermoset composites at low process costs (different kinds of yarn as a raw material, low tooling costs due to low cavity pressures). This cost effective technology allows to align the sprayed fibres in order to produce high-performance, engineered anisotropic products.

Universita' di Cagliari

Name of the organisation: Universita' di Cagliari Country: Italy Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: University of Cagliari is one of the leading European organization in the resin design and coupling with thermoplastic and thermose materials. University of Cagliari will support in the definition of the composite materials, both from CFRP/GFRP, ABS and Rare Earth composite material.

Relight

Name of the organisation: Relight Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: RELIGHT will work with ITRB to provide the research partners with residues for the recycled ABS supply and the REE recovery processes, including their HydroWEEE process as part of the processes to be studied and analyzed.

Piaggio Aerospace

Name of the organisation: Piaggio Aerospace Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - large company
Role within the commitment: Piaggio Aerospace is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Piaggio will assist in the compounds selection, provide Fraunhofer with specific corrosion requirements on business jet size aircraft, and will assess that the developed materials performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

Blackshape Aircrafts

Name of the organisation: Blackshape Aircrafts Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: Blackshape Aircrafts is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Blackshape will support to fulfill the requirements of the aeronautics industry on ultra light jet, light jet and trainer for Syllabus, and will assess that the developed alloys performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

KU Leuven

Name of the organisation: KU Leuven Country: Belgium Entity profile: Academia
Role within the commitment: KUL will collaborate on the balance problem studies and will lead the rare earth recovery research with the solvometallurgical and ionometallurgical processes.
KUL will also contribute to the final compounding selection.
KUL is the Dissemination Manager of the project, promoting that all partners are active on the project Dissemination.

FIDAMC

Name of the organisation: FIDAMC Country: Spain Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: FIDAMC is going to lead the Work Package on Compression Moulding with CFRP-enhanced materials. As part of the AIRBUS Group, FIDAMC will also be able to provide the input material.
FIDAMC successfully developed a 3D Printer of own design to serve the Aerospace Industry and will be supporting Smart Lab 3D Industries in its 3D printer design.

COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER

Name of the organisation: COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER Country: Canada Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Composite Innovation Center is one of the world leading organization in the field of Composite materials, both from carbon fiber and vegetal-based fibers.
Composite Innovation center has successfully implemented, at lab-scale, recycling processes for CFRP and GFRP.

Existing EU Contribution: No

Period to implement the commitment: from 04-01-2015 to 31-12-2016