i3 - March/April 2021 - 31

By Katie Reilly

Policy

SUSTA I N A B L E T EC H

a job, not the replacement. Work is
redesigned by finding these opportunities to combine IQ and EQ and
that creates new value.

Q What does the future of

upskilling and reskilling the
workforce look like?
A The COVID-19 pandemic proved
how adaptive people are. Everyone
was asked to pivot - to do what
had to be done, not necessarily
what they were hired for. This can
build worker resilience and creates
agency for the worker. Giving workers this agency and choice in an
area they're passionate about can
create breakthrough innovation
and moves beyond reskilling to
unleash worker potential.

Q What should executives

be thinking about to transform
work for the future?
A COVID-19 has earned many
teams the right to be bolder in
orchestrating work throughout the
enterprise. To seize this opportunity, organizational leaders need
to take the lead in re-architecting
work, unleashing workforce
ecosystems, and building adaptive
flexible workplaces accordingly.
We need to not get stuck in the
optimize and redesign mindsets.
Leaders need to move from optimization and productivity - which
are really the starting point - to
reimagination and re-architecting
work to create greater value and
impact. This is work transformed.

GO ONLINE: To learn more
about Deloitte's Future of Work
practice, visit Deloitte.com,
read Deloitte's latest 2021
Global Human Capital Trends,
or read Jeff's new book Work
Disrupted on the accelerated
future of work.
C TA . t e c h / i 3

i3_0321_30-31_Policy_News_Sustainability.indd 31

The Declining
Electronics
Waste Stream

he consumer tech industry
has demonstrated and delivered on the promise that
innovation and sustainability can go
hand in hand. CTA's members are focused
on material use, size, efficiency, longevity and
recyclability of their products. Sustainable innovation
is now integrated into the entire lifecycle of the product - and the results are speaking for themselves.
A recent study published in the Journal
of Industrial Ecology found that electronic waste (or e-waste) generated in
the U.S. has been declining since 2015
by as much as 10%. The study's results
go against the largely held belief that
e-waste is the fastest growing waste
stream here in the U.S. This finding is
significant and builds on research conducted by the Rochester Institute of
Technology's (RIT's) Golisano Institute
for Sustainability in collaboration with
CTA and the Staples Sustainable
Innovation Lab.
This research focused on mapping the
material footprint of consumer electronics and found that while the number and
type of tech devices in homes increased,
the net material consumption of those
devices has decreased to levels not seen
since the early 1990s. These source
reduction and waste generation achievements are enabled by three important
trends: technological shifts, convergence
of multi-functional devices and the use
of lightweight materials.
These trends are also supported by
the latest government data. According to
the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA's) latest Advancing Sustainable

Materials Management Facts and
Figures report published in November
2020, electronics are again the fastest
declining segment of the municipal
solid waste stream. According to the
EPA data, consumer electronics waste
generation declined by 4.9% from 2017
to 2018 - the next closest material or
product type decreased by only 1.4%.
The consumer tech industry has
established a trajectory that truly
is sustainable - using less materials
in our products even as demand for
devices increases. The front-end
investments are also being met with
back-end solutions. Through continued innovation and leadership from
the consumer technology industry,
CTA and its members are working
to increase recycling and make it
easier for consumers to recycle their
used electronics.
CTA's members are leading the way,
supporting certified recycling programs throughout the U.S. Many of
these companies also provide repair
networks for their products that
deliver safe, effective and secure services to customers. For more information, visit GreenerGadgets.org.

MARCH/APRIL 2021

3/11/21 12:38 PM

http://www.Deloitte.com http://www.GreenerGadgets.org https://CTA.tech/i3

i3 - March/April 2021

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