Over the past few decades, technology has grown so rapidly that it permeates all aspects of our daily life – whether it’s smartphones, laptops, driverless cars, or AI. Hell, there is even a smart toilet that analyses your stool. But, with the rise in technology comes a dramatic increase in electronic waste, causing everyone from environmental activists to government officials to ask the question: what can be done to reduce our e-waste?
To keep our world liveable, we need to double our global circularity from 8.6% to 17% in the next decade. To help cut fast-growing waste streams from the planet – a whopping 50 million tonnes annually – Swedish innovation agency KEEP has built a platform that provides end-to-end traceability for electronic products.
Funded by Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova, KEEP intends to set new practice standards for retailers, encouraging them to be completely transparent with users, foster responsible supply chains and push back against greenwashing.
The platform arrives off the back of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, a high-level plan to make the EU’s economy more sustainable. Included in the new policy framework is a traceability system for electronics products – the 2022 Electronics Product Passport. The KEEP platform will provide such product passports that can be accessed by retailers, manufacturers, and consumers alike.
As well as making it easier for users to repair and recycle their products by offering clear advice and instructions on how to do so, the KEEP platform will provide manufacturers with the product life cycle information they need to be able to oversee their e-wastage.
Already, the platform has seen several sign-ups, including consumer tech giants Lenovo and Clas Ohlson – and this list of high-profile partners is only set to grow as more brand’s commit to becoming more environmentally conscious. It’s why we’re so excited that our client, modular electronics maker Transparent, is among the first batch of sign-ups.
Since it was founded in 2011, Transparent has been committed to becoming the world’s first circular technology brand. It creates modular products where the components can easily be replaced for newer technology as it evolves and moves on, meaning the products never become obsolete. Its dedication to creating timeless, modular products means it was the perfect partner for KEEP.
Transparent’s Light Speaker will go live on the platform in September as Europe’s first prototype of the project. A QR code will be provided with each Light Speaker, allowing users to scan it and have access to real-time data on the product’s manufacturing history as well as information on its environmental impact, performance, and advice on how to extend its lifetime. To encourage users to use the QR code, Transparent will offer an extra year’s warranty on the product. This system will eventually be rolled out across all Transparent’s permanent collections.
For more information on KEEP, visit https://keepelectronics.com/.
