As we’re always striving to achieve higher quality recycling, we’ve assessed the environmental footprint of each stage of the recycling process (including waste transport, decontamination, recycling of materials, and so on). This assessment shows the considerable environmental benefits of recycling, which enables the regeneration of resources. Currently, it encompasses all aspects of managing lamps and household electrical and electronic equipment.
Figures from the 2021 assessment
We’ve identified three important environmental challenges relevant to our work:
- Combatting climate change
- Combatting fossil resources depletion
- Combatting mineral resources depletion
Combatting climate change
CO2 emissions avoided, equivalent to 4,940,000 car journeys between Paris and Moscow !
This indicator measures the greenhouse gases emissions avoided through material regeneration and energy recovery.
Find out more (in French)
The infographic depicting these indicators is explained at the bottom of this page.
Over 1,325,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided through decontamination of equipment containing refrigerant or insulating gases
In addition to the CO2 emissions avoided through material regeneration and recovery, decontaminating equipment containing refrigerant or insulating gases (from fridges, air conditioners, and so on) means we can capture and neutralise gases with a high global warming potential.
The infographic depicting these indicators is explained at the bottom of this page
Combatting fossil resources depletion
Over 1,814,000,000 kWh saved!
This indicator assesses the consumption of oil, coal, and gas avoided through material regeneration and energy recovery. It then translates this into the impact this has on fossil resources depletion in terms of the reserves available and their exploitation.
Find out more (in French)
The infographic depicting these indicators is explained at the bottom of this page.
Combatting mineral resources depletion
This indicator assesses the consumption of mineral resources (metals, precious metals, rare earths, and so on) avoided through material regeneration and energy recovery. It then translates this into the impact this has on mineral resources depletion in terms of the reserves available and their exploitation.
Find out more (in French)
The infographic depicting these indicators is explained at the bottom of this page.
How can we improve our environmental track record?
We’re working hard to improve our environmental track record through two areas of intervention:
- Reducing the environmental impacts of different stages in the recycling chain (e.g. reducing damage to equipment containing refrigerant and insulating gases with a very high global warming potential, prior to their arrival in recycling plants)
- Improving environmental benefits by regenerating more materials, and improving the quality of these materials (e.g. working on developing new techniques for regenerating critical metals)
Just take 4 minutes to discover some of the ways we’re improving our environmental track record
Indicator infographics
The indicators detailed above show three types of figures:
- Environmental benefits: recycling and recovery operations enable material regeneration or energy production. The materials regenerated and the energy produced in this process replace conventionally-produced materials and energy, thus providing an environmental gain.
- Environmental impacts: resulting from waste transport and processing (in preparation for recycling, recovery, or disposal).
- The net balance: the difference between the benefits and the impacts.
Methodology and sources: in this video we explain how we calculated the environmental footprint (in French).