GLOBE REFOCUSES E-WASTE ZERO PROGRAM ON MOBILE AND BROADBAND DEVICES TO ADVANCE CIRCULARITY INITIATIVES

Globe, a leading digital solutions platform, is realigning its E-Waste Zero Program to prioritize mobile and broadband devices, responding to global industry trends in electronic waste circularity. This strategic shift enables Globe to concentrate on reducing its value chain emissions (GHG Scope 3) and intensify its impact on e-waste circularity.

Effective September 1, 2023, Globe’s E-Waste Zero Program will center its efforts on items distributed to the market, including old mobile phones, tablets, wearables (e.g., smartwatches), broadband devices (e.g., routers, modems), and their peripherals (e.g., chargers, adapters).

Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer at the Globe Group, expressed, “As a sustainability champion, Globe takes the lead in fostering circularity when it comes to e-waste management. By refocusing our E-Waste Zero Program, we hope to improve our direct impact on our customers and business: mobile and broadband device circularity.”

Globe is among the 12 leading mobile providers globally that have committed to the new set of pace-setting targets developed with the global association of mobile network operators, GSMA.

Extending the lifespan of mobile devices and promoting circularity aligns with environmental benefits. According to GSMA, refurbished phones have an 87% lower climate impact than new ones, and recycling five billion mobile phones globally can recover valuable resources worth US$8 billion.

Since its launch in 2014, Globe’s E-Waste Zero Program has collected and recycled 216.7 metric tons of e-waste, ranging from broken mobile phones and computer sets to IT network equipment and home appliances. The program, with over 120 e-waste collection bins nationwide and more than 80 partners, facilitates the responsible disposal and recycling of e-waste.

The collected e-waste items undergo processing at treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facilities accredited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). These facilities segregate, treat, and store the e-waste domestically, while the remaining items are exported to main recycling and recovery facilities for further processing and extraction of precious metals.

Globe has also collaborated with schools and private companies on e-waste donations and worked with government and non-government organizations to establish a community-based Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facility in Malabon, Metro Manila, for the proper handling of e-waste.

The GSMA recognized Globe’s contribution to e-waste recycling in 2020 as one of the global best practices for take-back and collection programs.

“As we shift our focus towards mobile and broadband devices, we want to assure our customers that our commitment to promoting e-waste circularity remains steadfast. We hope to inspire more of our customers to adopt responsible consumption habits in their daily lives,” added Crisanto.

While Globe redirects the E-Waste Zero program, collection bins will remain in their current locations, and the free door-to-door hauling service for multiple e-waste items weighing at least 10 kilograms will continue.