In the 20th century, the emergence of new products across various industries brought new opportunities to the market. Among them, fast-developing product elements such as electronic and electrical products were significant inventions and among the fastest-growing finished products. Many argue that the advent of electronic and electrical products has brought about a significant transformation in their lives, marking a milestone in history. However, have you ever pondered whether discarded electronic and electrical products might also pose an environmental burden? We will delve into this further with the following information.
Industry data indicates that the social stock of television sets, which every household typically owns, has now reached approximately 350 million units. Similarly, household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines are also prevalent, each exceeding 100 million units. More importantly, with the development of motor and electrical appliance manufacturing technology, the replacement cycle of new products for old ones is becoming shorter, posing significant challenges to the lifespan of traditional electronic appliances. Compared to the past, when a washing machine could last for over three years, now it's likely to be only two years or less. This situation directly leads to an increase in the amount of discarded electronic appliances. According to statistics, in our market, over five million televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, and other machines are produced annually, all of which are nearing obsolescence. At the same time, the number of discarded computers and other electronic products is also substantial. Abroad, for example, there are already 100 million discarded computers reaching the end of their life cycle. Experts predict that over the next five years, the rate of discarded computers will gradually increase, and the amount of discarded electronic products could reach four million tons, accounting for about 2% of the entire European market. It can be vividly described that, on average, every 15 to 20 minutes, a discarded electronic appliance or electronic product is generated. If we add up globally, it could potentially form a skyscraper over 100 stories tall!
Now, the growth rate of waste electronic and electrical products is soaring at over 16%, three times faster than before. How should countries around the world respond with measures?
