NEWS

Bangalore , Nov 22, 2016 : A new study from IIM Bangalore and research firm Counterpoint Research suggest that India might consume $80 billion worth of mobile phone components over the next five years. India has the second largest smartphone market in the world, in terms of users. In just about five years, the country will have over 50 crore smartphone users. Further, the number of locally made mobile phones went up from 14 per cent in 2014 to 67 per cent in 2016. This could hit 95 per cent by 2020.All that’s good news. But the bad news is this surge in the production of smartphones, which die and get replaced faster than, say, personal computers or other perishable electronic goods, poses huge challenges to the country’s e-waste recycling agencies. Estimates of electronic waste being produced in India every year range between eight to 17 lakh tonnes. This is increasing 5-8 per cent every year. India is also a dump yard of e-waste from developed markets.

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