In 2020, the amount of e-Waste generated was equivalent in weight to almost 4,500 Eiffel Towers¹. Of this, Asia was the largest contributor, generating 24.9 million² tons of e-Waste in that year alone. With the recent rise in demand for home entertainment and the need to meet work-from-home requirements, the amount of e-Waste generated is expected to grow.

In addition to the critical need to address the apparent hazards to the environment from improper disposal of e-Waste, there is also significant value that can be recovered from the potential raw material which has been estimated to be worth around USD 10 billion in 2019.

In recognition of this, many Asian countries have started including e-Waste recycling targets as an integral part of that country’s sustainability journey. Some have announced plans to put in place initiatives to improve e-Waste recycling rate via schemes such as the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme as well as subsidies to businesses operating within the e-Waste ecosystem, while others have already done so.

UOB simplifies sustainability for businesses within the ecosystem. To do so, we have developed UOB’s e-Waste Ecosystem Financing to support and address the banking needs across the value-chain of the e-Waste ecosystem.