E-Waste Turned into New Treasure By Nikki Reed and Dell

Dell along with actress, entrepreneur and activist Nikki Reed has introduced an alliance in support of the sustainable design movement.

The Circular Collection by Bayou with Love and Dell is a new limited edition, jewellery collection made in the US and sourced from gold recovered from Dell’s recycling programs. The collection, which includes 14- and 18-carat gold rings, earrings and cufflinks, will be showcased at this year’s 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (#CES2018) to highlight the widespread impact that e-waste, or disposable electronic equipment, has on the environment and the role we all play in advancing a circular economy.

In addition, Dell is announcing an industry-first pilot to use recycled gold from used electronics in new computer motherboards, which will ship in the award-winning Latitude 5285 2-in-1sstarting this spring.The pilot follows a successful feasibility study on server motherboards. The closed-loop gold process could support the creation of millions of new motherboards in the next year.It expands Dell’s closed-loop program from plastics to precious metals.

Currently, only 12.5% of e-waste is recycled into other products. As a result, it’s estimated that Americans throw away $60 million in gold and silver every year through unwanted phones alone. The new Circular Collection and Dell pilot demonstrate the potential for these precious materials to be recycled into goods that are beautiful, valuable and sustainable.

Not only does reusing and upcycling gold from used technology has economic benefits, it also creates enormous environmental and social benefits by avoiding the damage to human health and the leaching of pollutants commonly associated with mined gold.  According to a Trucost study, the gold reclamation process created by Dell environmental partner Wistron GreenTech has a 99% lower environmental impact than traditionally mined gold.

Dell has spent more than a decade working with sustainable materials in products and packaging. Since 2012, Dell has recycled more than 50 million pounds of post-consumer recycled materials into new products.As part of Dell’s Legacy of Good Program, the company has pledged to recycle 100 million pounds of recycled content into its product portfolio by 2020. The collaboration with Nikki Reed extends from the company’s widespread efforts to find innovative ways to create value from waste.