ExperteninterviewStrongerInCirclesCircularityE-Waste
E-Waste: Between Waste and Value – A Conversation with Stefan de Linde from Minimise
Veröffentlicht am 23. Apr. 20264 min Lesezeit
Stefan de Linde, Founder of Minimise
Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams – and one of the most difficult to manage.
With our series #StrongerInCircles, we speak with people from across industries on how to make circularity work in practice.
For this interview, we spoke with Stefan de Linde, Founder of Minimise. His work focuses 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, he explains what sets electronic waste apart, the challenges in collection and recycling, and how data and verification can support circular use cases for companies.
Stefan, what pulled you towards the Circular Economy?
The realization that electronic waste is an extremely unique form of “waste”. The world is digitalizing fast, and we're producing more electronics than ever, making e-waste the fastest-growing waste stream on the planet. If you compare it to other waste streams, we don't 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 even nostalgia, it stores old memories and photos. Nowadays, you can spend over €1000 on a phone. A few years later it is pretty much worthless, 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, use devices longer, while at the same time making sure disposed electronics don't poison our planet.
These contradictions and challenges attract me to the circular economy, and keep attracting me more every day. There are really simple but effective solutions out there, and I see it as my mission to bring those solutions to the electronics industry and indirectly to every household.
What problem is Minimise solving?
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 & 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 or telco wants to provide consumers with a circular experience after purchase. They attach Proof of Recycling to a purchase, and send it to their consumers. Minimise keeps updating the consumer on how their purchase contributes to e-waste collection projects in developing countries.
- An OEM wants to collect e-waste in countries where their products are sold. Instead of building their own collection infrastructure, they use our Proofs. We continuously audit the suppliers and the data inside the Proofs, so they can trust that real e-waste is being collected in their name.
- A producer is looking for recycled materials (like metals & plastics). The data in our Proofs helps them find new regions to source these materials.. This helps producers diversify their sourcing network. We track the full journey of the material from its origin to the output material, meaning they can trust that the material they source came from waste.
- An IT reseller wants to stand out from the competition. They add Proof of Recycling to their portfolio and can now offer their customers the option to compensate the footprint of their new IT fleet. For every new device, we proactively collect the same quantity of e-waste in developing countries.
- A company wants to contribute to environmental impact in the name of their employees. Using Proof of Recycling, they can match the footprint of their IT fleet to e-waste collection. Minimise passes on that data inside Proofs to employees and takes them on the impact journey.
I can keep going. The point is, we're 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 do you position yourself 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's (unfortunately) naive to think that companies set those goals just for the planet. A major driver was self-promotion; which, at that point, generated value. Now that those claims fell flat, the search is on for new sources of value. It's not a shame to admit that the Circular Economy still needs to be an Economy. Circular players also need to generate value, and Minimise is all about 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.
You've called the Global South 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're opening the doors for these brands to diversify their supply chain, fully transparent and audited. For OEMs and producers, that value is fundamental. If you rely on a few centralized sources for the metals and plastics in your next generation of products, you're at risk. This is amplified by today's shaky global supply chains.
People hear that Asia and Africa is a dumping ground. I see it as the most circular region 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 treat every device as a high-value asset, not trash. The expertise is there; it just 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. You aren't just "donating" to a project; you are securing the raw materials you need to keep your business alive. The Global South is not a charity case, but rather 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's unlikely we can stop consumption. Brands don't really want to, and hoping billions of people will suddenly decide to buy less, is not a strategy. Consumer-shaming doesn't help, so it's best to start upgrading the infrastructure to be circular by design.
That means the fundamental lesson for brands is that solutions do exist. Circularity isn't that complex anymore and it provides levers that complement existing business models. You can nudge and remind the consumer to change their lifestyle, without forcing them if they don't want to. The "win" is that we keep the benefits of technology without the baggage of the waste. That is how you build a loop that actually pays for itself.
Thank you, Stefan, for your time, your valuable work and for sharing your perspective on the role of data, infrastructure and supply chains in advancing circularity in the electronics sector.
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