IT Giant Also Launches Pilot for Closed Loop Gold Recycling from Motherboards : Dell Partners with Nikki Reed to Recycle Gold from E-Waste into Jewellery

IT equipment manufacturer, Dell, and actress, entrepreneur and activist Nikki Reed are collaborating in support of the sustainable design movement with jewellery made from gold recycled from e-waste.

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 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.

“Bayou with Love was created to bring greater awareness to the human impact on our planet and show that beautiful items can come from sustainably sourced and recycled materials,” said Reed, co-founder of Bayou with Love.

“By recycling gold that was once considered ‘waste,’ Dell and I are working to create an environment where we continuously reuse resources and strive for zero waste,” she added.

Full Circle

In addition, Dell is launching 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-1s starting this spring.

The pilot follows a successful feasibility study on server motherboards. According to Dell the closed-loop gold process could support the creation of millions of new motherboards in the next year and expands its closed loop program from plastics to precious metals.

The manufacturer noted that 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 company said that the new Circular Collection and its pilot project 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 have economic benefits.

It also creates 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.

“Materials innovation – where and how we source things like plastic, carbon fiber and now gold for our products – is increasingly important for us,” explained Jeff Clarke, Dell vice chairman.

“When you think about the fact that there is up to 800x more gold in a ton of motherboards than a ton of ore from the earth, you start to realize the enormous opportunity we have to put valuable materials to work.”

Long Term Commitment

Dell noted that it has spent more than a decade working with sustainable materials in products and packaging. Since 2012, Dell it has recycled more than 50 million pounds (22,700 metric tonnes) of post-consumer recycled materials into new products.

As part of its Legacy of Good Program, the company said that it has also 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.

To support the effort, consumers in the US can drop off their unwanted and used electronics at a Goodwill® participating in the Dell Reconnect program, a free and responsible recycling service partnered with Dell.

Businesses can participate through Dell’s Asset Resale and Recycling Services. Using an environmentally-responsible extraction process, the used electronics are broken down into individual components by Dell’s environmental partner, Wistron GreenTech.

Gold from the motherboards is then recycled into new computer motherboards as part of Dell’s closed loop supply chain or upcycled into other products.

The Circular Collection by Bayou with Love has pieces starting at $78 and is available at BaYouwithLove.com.

A video featuring Nikki Reed explaining the project can be viewed below.

https://youtu.be/WuGiE5oNOlA

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