SCYCLE

E-waste Statistics Guidelines Third Edition: strengthening global measurement and reporting of e-waste statistics.

Summary:
This third edition of E-waste Statistics: Guidelines on classifications, reporting and indicators,has been released to support national statistical offices, other government agencies, and wider stakeholders in producing robust and internationally comparable statistics on e-waste.

Key findings:
The guidelines provide clear, step-by-step methodologies for constructing statistics across the full life cycle of electronics, including quantities placed on the market, e-waste generation, collection, management, and transboundary movements.

The third edition of the guidelines introduces several important methodological advancements:

• The introduction of the UNU-KEYs Version 2 to capture the evolving landscape of electronics;
• New data sources and methods for measuring transboundary e-waste flows, secondary raw material recovery and e-waste legislation; and
• Refreshed and expanded technical parameters, including correlations to trade and production classifications and data on material composition.

Extensive case studies demonstrate practical application of the methods. Throughout the document, additional guidance and tools are signposted to, alongside opportunities for international reporting.

Context & impact:
Reliable data and statistics are essential for understanding and responding to the rapidly growing e-waste challenge. The release comes at a critical time: global e-waste generation reached a record 62 million tonnes in 2022 and is projected to exceed 80 million tonnes annually by 2030. Strengthening statistical capacity enables countries to track progress, design evidence-based policies, and support the transition towards a circular economy.

Authors & collaborators:
Preparation of the third edition of the E-Waste Statistics guidelines was coordinated by UNITAR-SCYCLE with contributions from leading agencies and experts in the field. Its preparation was financed under the United Nations Environment Programme project on Enhancing countries’ capacities for measuring progress on the transition towards a circular economy, with funds originating from the European Union.

Explore the updated methodology and strengthen your national e-waste reporting systems.

Read Edition 3 of the guidelines here:

Read more about the previous edition of the E-waste Statistics Guidelines, Second Edition 2018
https://www.scycle.info/e-waste-statistics-guidelines-2018/
More information and download at “Collections at UNU”:
E-waste Statistics: Guidelines on Classifications, Reporting and Indicators, second edition