Food For Thought!
Climate Change is Everybody’s Business
As Australian bushfires continue to rage and heart-wrenching images of scorched and burnt koalas and Kangaroos begging humans for water reach us, we are reminded that indeed climate change is real and can reach our backyard soon.
The need of the hour is to develop an understanding of E-waste and spread awareness on how it can be disposed of safely.
‘Harsh Bhatt’ Communication design student designs a hypothetical campaign consistent with ‘Croma’ retail imagery and strategy which seeks to positively influence customer satisfaction and purchase behaviour. Targeting young India’s love of food and electronics the campaign will encourage Gen Z’ to make responsible decisions regarding their E-waste.
A need to develop a method of E-waste disposal and recycling by setting up stations at retail outlets of electronics stores such as ‘Croma’ and offering ‘incentives’ (e.g. 10 % OFF on donating your old chargers ) to increase response.
Electronic waste, also called e-waste, are various forms of electric and electronic equipment that have ceased to be of value to their users or no longer satisfy their original purpose. Globally, e-waste constitutes more than 5 per cent of all municipal solid waste and is increasing with the rise in sales of electronic products in developing countries.
Electronic waste (e-waste) products have exhausted their utility value through either redundancy, replacement, or breakage and include both “white goods” such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwaves and “brown goods” such as televisions, radios, computers, and cell phones.
There are some specific ways in which e-waste recycling can be damaging to the environment. Burning to recover metal from wires and cables leads to emissions of brominated and chlorinated dioxins, causing air pollution. When electronics containing heavy metals such as lead, barium, mercury, lithium), etc., are improperly disposed of, these heavy metals leach through the soil to reach groundwater channels which eventually run to the surface as streams or small ponds of water. Toxins such as mercury, lead, cadmium, polybrominated flame retardants, barium, and lithium have various ill effects on humans including birth defects and damage to the brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system.
Recycling of e-waste in India and its potential
About 95 per cent of India’s e-waste is recycled in the informal sector and a crude manner. A report on e-waste presented by the United Nations (UN) at the World Economic Forum on January 24, 2019, points out that the waste stream reached 48.5 MT in 2018 and the figure is expected to double if nothing changes.
E-waste is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 30 per cent in the country. ASSOCHAM, one of the apex trade associations of India, estimated that e-waste generation was 1.8 MT per annum in 2016 and would reach 5.2 MT per annum by 2020. India now has 178 registered e-waste recyclers, accredited by the state governments to process e-waste. But many of India’s e-waste recyclers aren’t recycling waste at all. While some are storing it in hazardous conditions, others can’t even handle such waste, as per the report of the Union Environment Ministry.
TATA SUSTAINABILITY GROUP
India’s efforts toward sustainability goals can be achieved, by large corporates taking active participation. A creative campaign has been conceptualised keeping in mind the kind of customers who visit ‘Croma’ which is ‘Tata Group’s retail arm outlets. The campaign display can happen across a 6x8-foot area in select locations across India.
These stores get considerable footfalls daily and if the desired results are achieved, ‘Tata Sustainability Group’ can ensure that their motto ‘Growing responsibly for a better tomorrow’ will see fruition and a circular economy in the coming decade and is committed to meaningful contribution to society.
Make a difference: Provide collection services for E-waste and dispose of them safely is what this campaign seeks to achieve. If not now, When?
Disclaimer: All creatives are hypothetical classroom projects.
All rights reserved.
Creative Mentor: Program Director — Utkarsha Malkar
Utkarsha Malkar | Author | Design Thinker | Creator —
A desire to understand the world and to improve it always remains at the core.
Design is a managed process and my quest for knowledge is subject to an
inquiry of the apparent, the imagined and the recalled.
As I speculate and design, my liberty of self-expression is in direct
correlation to my existence and knowledge.
