With domestic demand building slowly, U.S. processors must look to industries outside electronics manufacturing to absorb their e-plastics volumes, according to panelists at the recent E-Scrap Conference in Orlando.
Prices for key e-scrap metals have experienced a wild ride this year, and the shifts in value have piled onto global trade regulations and ongoing dematerialization to create a challenging economic picture for the industry.
In the near future, ITAD and e-scrap recyclers should expect industry consolidation and the rise of a new kind of environmental certificate that could create revenue streams for recyclers, advisory firm Bloom ESG predicted in a new white paper.
Envela Corporation, which owns a number of ITAD and e-scrap recycling operations, reported lower sales of secondhand hard drives in the first quarter of the year but higher demand for consumer technology devices.
Artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are contributing to positive market conditions in the ITAD industry, and a number of company leaders anticipate the upward trend will continue.
Aurubis will invest $359 million at a smelter, gold maintains its recent high prices and researchers say recycled copper from e-scrap doesn't necessarily generate fewer greenhouse gasses than virgin mined metal.
Iron Mountain says used electronics pricing was relatively steady during the third quarter, flattening out revenues for the company's asset lifecycle segment. But Envela Corporation found decreased volumes of incoming electronics and solar panels hurt results at its ITAD and e-scrap companies.
Gartner estimates worldwide PC shipments declined in the third quarter, but the research firm anticipates sales will begin to pick up in the fourth quarter of this year.