Veolia and its partners have created a recycling loop for small appliances — France’s first complete circular economy for small appliances, the companies say.
The e-waste collected by Eco-systèmes is recovered by Veolia as recycled raw material, which is then used by Groupe SEB to manufacture new appliances sold in stores.
The collaboration between waste collector, material recycler and recycled material user could work in the US, as well, says Jerrold Wang, a Lux Research analyst in the firm’s sustainable building materials practice.
“The main drivers of these practices are 1) lowered cost of raw materials and hence improved profitability, 2) government policy to push circular economy — such as mandatory rules, tax rebates and credits of building standards — and 3) corporation sustainability and market awareness,” Wang says.