2023 life cycle assessment: 3,572 tonnes of copper or a cable that can almost span the globe twice

For 34 years, SENS eRecycling has been committed to ensuring that hazardous substances are safely removed from electrical and electronic appliances, and that the recyclable materials contained in these appliances are recycled. In 2023, a total of 3,572 tonnes of copper from disused electrical and electronic appliances were returned to the cycle. If this copper were braided into a cable, it would cover the Earth’s circumference 1.8 times.

In 2023, SENS eRecycling and its partners collected, sorted and separated 94,500 tonnes of electrical and electronic appliances (5% more than in the previous year) into recyclable and hazardous materials. This is the highest amount since 1990, when SENS eRecycling first launched a take-back system for freezers and refrigerators, thereby launching the successful disposal of electrical and electronic appliances in Switzerland. Today, other electrical and electronic appliances such as freezers and air conditioners also fall into the category of cooling appliances. The number of these appliances processed increased by 20% in 2023 to a record 22,700 tonnes. However, in terms of weight, large electrical appliances still account for the largest proportion of the goods processed: 38,200 tonnes of washing machines, ovens, cookers and dishwashers were recycled in 2023, closely followed by small electronic appliances at a total of 32,700 tonnes. This includes coffee machines, toasters, electric toothbrushes and toys. While the volume of lighting equipment increased by 6% or 7% compared to the previous year in both appliance categories, 10% less lighting equipment was processed in 2023. The number of processed photovoltaic modules also fell. At 600 tonnes (-40%), it returned to the 2021 level after the record year of 2022. “This decline is mainly due to the fact that in 2023, an exceptionally large number of PV modules were recycled due to hail damage”, explained Pasqual Zopp, Managing Director of SENS eRecycling.

Environmental benefits: 1,509 billion environmental impact points

In addition to the number of electronic devices processed, SENS eRecycling also reports on its contribution to a cleaner environment in its annual life cycle assessment. This is done in the form of environmental impact points (EIP). In 2023, this environmental benefit for the entire SENS take-back system amounted to 1,509 billion EIP (see info box for calculation). This corresponds to the environmental impact of 60,000 Swiss citizens in one year or as many inhabitants as in the city of Biel. “SENS eRecycling still achieves the greatest environmental benefit through the removal of hazardous substances such as PCBs (668 billion EIP) or coolants and refrigerants (537 billion EIP)”, explained Pasqual Zopp. “By correctly disposing of such hazardous substances together with our partners, we prevent them from entering the environment. In 2023 alone, we were able to avert 537 billion EIP of damage by avoiding the use of coolants and refrigerants – that’s about a third of our total environmental benefit.”

The reprocessing of recyclable materials is becoming increasingly important

Thanks to increased environmental requirements, fewer and fewer hazardous substances are entering the SENS eRecycling take-back system. This is a positive development. In contrast, the reprocessing of recyclable materials is gaining in importance year after year. An example of this is the recycling of small electronic appliances: For years, not only has the quantity processed been increasing in this segment, but thanks to technological progress, the recycling partners of SENS eRecycling are able to extract more and more recyclable materials from the appliances. This includes copper, which accounts for 3,572 tonnes of recovered recyclable materials in 2023. A total of 45,655 tonnes of iron were recycled by the SENS recycling companies in 2023, followed by 5,932 tonnes of recycled steel (see table).