Electronic waste effects of ICT: does income level matter?

Abstract As countries strive to meet Sustainable Development Goals 3, 11, and 13 of the United Nations, there is a growing need to employ ICT development to increase resilience and adaptation to climate-related hazards. Setting itself from the previous studies, this study builds a composite index for ICT development, incorporating three ICT indicators to investigate the contributions of ICT development to e-waste generation. The study uses data from 2013 to 2022 and the endogeneity-robust panel dynamic OLS (DOLS) estimation method. The results show that e-waste generation is strongly influenced by ICT development both globally and across income levels. Specifically, mobile lines decrease global e-waste, whereas fixed landlines and internet connections increase it. Internet connectivity increases the amount of e-waste generated in high-income countries, while mobile lines reduce it. Only mobile phones significantly reduce e-waste in high-income countries. In addition, internet connectivity has no impact on e-waste generation in lower-middle-income countries, but mobile and fixed landlines increase it. Furthermore, mobile and fixed landlines have little discernible effect on the development of e-waste in low-income nations, while internet connectivity is the primary cause. The study also confirms the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis at global, high- and upper-middle-income countries, but not for low- and lower-middle-income countries. This suggests that there is still a clear correlation between rising e-waste and economic growth in these countries. Overall, the study highlights the need for efficient recycling and disposal methods to reduce e-waste from the trade-off between ICT development and environmental degradation.