Interview with Minimise in #StrongerInCircles by Circulee

For this interview, Minimise was interviewed about our work focusing on enabling companies to connect their products and operations with documented e-waste collection and recycling activities, including projects in countries in the Global South.

In this interview with Circulee for their #StrongerInCircles series, we explain what sets electronic waste apart, the challenges in collection and recycling, and how data and verification can support circular use cases for companies.

What was the thought or motivation to start Minimise?

The realization that electronic waste is an extremely unique form of waste. The world is digitalizing fast, and we are producing more electronics than ever, making e-waste the fastest-growing waste stream on the planet. Compared to other waste streams, we do not keep spoiled food in our fridge or broken clothes in our wardrobes. Most people have a junk drawer filled with old cables and phones.

Often e-waste still carries a value. It can carry emotion and nostalgia, storing old memories and photos. Nowadays, you can spend over €1000 on a phone. A few years later it has little financial value, yet we all get told it contains gold and silver. The challenges of electronics in the circular economy are complex at face value. The challenge is motivating people to empty out their drawers, repair more, and use devices longer, while at the same time making sure disposed electronics do not poison our planet.

These contradictions and challenges attract Minimise to the circular economy, and keep attracting us more every day. There are really simple but effective solutions out there, and we see it as our mission to bring those solutions to the electronics industry and indirectly to every household.

What problem do you solve?

Minimise makes being circular easy and valuable to customers. We have built a network of e-waste collectors and recyclers in more than 10 countries in the Global South. Together with them, we set up collection and recycling projects. The impact of their activities is documented in our registry. From that data we produce Proof of Recycling, which brands use for all sorts of circular use cases:

• A retailer like Refurbed wants to provide consumers with a circular experience after purchase by attaching Proof of Recycling to a transaction and letting us update the consumer on how it contributes to e-waste collection projects in developing countries.
• An OEM like Dell wants to collect e-waste in countries where their products are sold by using our audited proofs instead of building their own collection infrastructure.
• A producer is looking for recycled materials and uses the data in our proofs to find new regions to source these materials, diversifying their sourcing network transparently.
• An IT reseller like Foxway or CHG Meridian wants to stand out from the competition by adding Proof of Recycling to their portfolio to offer customers the option to compensate the footprint of their new IT fleet proactively.
• A company wants to contribute to environmental impact in the name of their employees by matching the footprint of their IT fleet to e-waste collection and having Minimise pass that data on to their workforce.

We can keep going. The point is, we are taking our customer's wish to be more circular and providing them with the easiest way to achieve it. Fully transparent, audited and trustworthy. If you know your circular wish today, you can have the proof tomorrow.

We've seen brands quietly retreating from ambitious ESG goals. How does Minimise position itself in the decline of the "sustainability-as-marketing" era?

The retreat from ambitious ESG claims is the best thing that could happen to our industry. It is naive to think that companies set those goals just for the planet. A major driver was self-promotion, which generated value at that point. Now that those claims fell flat, the search is on for new sources of value. There is no shame in admitting that the circular economy still needs to be an economy. Circular players also need to generate value, and Minimise focuses entirely on doing that for the brands that work with us.

For a retailer or an IT reseller, this is about stickiness. Offering someone a circular experience is an addition that increases the number of touch points with a brand. In a competitive, price-driven market, it moves the conversation from the price of the hardware to customer relationships and brand experiences. We position brands to be memorable beyond the moment of purchase.

Minimise refers to the Global South as a "recycling powerhouse", rather than an e-waste victim. What is the specific value that electronics brands are completely missing?

Traditionally, producers are hesitant to source recycled materials from developing countries. It is difficult to audit a supply chain on labor conditions when documentation is often lacking. We are opening the doors for these brands to diversify their supply chain transparently and with full audits. For OEMs and producers, that value is fundamental. Relying on a few centralized sources for the metals and plastics in your next generation of products puts you at risk. This is amplified by today's shaky global supply chains.

People hear that Asia and Africa are dumping grounds. We see them as the most circular regions on the planet. The knowledge of the value of recycled materials is already there. Developing countries are incredibly efficient at recovery because they have to be. They strictly treat every device as a high-value asset. The expertise is there, but it previously lacked the formal link back to global manufacturers.

We provide that link. By using our registry to document these local networks, we turn a compliance headache into a strategic advantage. Securing the raw materials needed to keep your business alive goes far beyond merely donating to a project. The Global South serves as the future backbone of a resilient, circular supply chain.

If we accept the hard truth that global consumption isn’t slowing down. What is the fundamental lesson brands and consumers need to take home so they can drive a circular economy in a world that keeps wanting more?

We should all aim to reduce, but it is unlikely we can stop consumption. Brands do not really want to, and hoping billions of people will suddenly decide to buy less is an ineffective strategy. Consumer-shaming does not help, so the best approach is to start upgrading the infrastructure to be circular by design.

That means the fundamental lesson for brands is that solutions do exist. Circularity is much less complex today and provides levers that complement existing business models. You can nudge and remind consumers to change their lifestyle without forcing them if they are unwilling. The win is keeping the benefits of technology without the baggage of the waste. That is how you build a loop that actually pays for itself.

Read the original interview here: https://www.circulee.com/blog/e-waste-between-waste-and-value-a-conversation-with-stefan-de-linde-from-minimise/

For more information, the first interview between Minimise and Circulee is available here: https://www.circulee.com/blog/loesungen-fuer-das-globale-elektroschrottproblem-die-funktionieren-ein/