Altered forests threaten sustainability of subsistence hunting

This year’s International E-Waste Day (#ewasteday), taking place on 14 October, will focus on the crucial part each of us, as consumers and as citizens, has in making circularity a reality for e-products. According to the UN, in 2021 each person on the planet will produce on average 7.6 kg of e-waste, meaning that a massive 57.4 million tonnes will be generated worldwide. Only 17.4 per cent of this electronic waste containing a mixture of harmful substances and precious materials will be recorded as being properly collected, treated and recycled. Many initiatives are undertaken to tackle this growing concern, but none of them can be fully effective without the active role and correct education of consumers.

The motion, which passed with 574 votes in favour, 22 against and 95 abstentions, urges the European Commission to set binding 2030 targets for materials use and consumption footprint of all products placed on the EU market. It also calls on the EU executive to introduce product-specific standards for recycled materials to be incorporated into new products placed on the EU market. “If we continue to use all these natural resources at this speed by 2050, we won’t need one planet, we’ll need three,” said Jan Huitema, a Dutch liberal MEP who authored the Parliament’s report. “It’s much better to make sure that the waste we would otherwise burn or dump, that we use it as a valuable raw material to make new products,” he said.