India has experienced the highest global growth rate in waste generated from screens, computers, and small IT and telecommunication equipment (SCSIT), with a 163% increase from 2010 to 2022, according to the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Digital Economy Report for 2024. The report, titled “Shaping an Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Future,” reveals that India’s share of global SCSIT waste doubled from 3.1% in 2010 to 6.4% in 2022. It also highlights that developing countries in Asia, particularly China, produced the majority of such waste in 2022.
The report emphasizes the harmful effects of electronic waste, noting that much of it is managed informally in developing countries. Hazardous materials in digital waste, including heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, pose significant environmental and health risks if not properly handled. Despite these challenges, UNCTAD acknowledges India’s efforts to reduce the impact of waste and move towards sustainable practices, such as Amazon India’s elimination of single-use plastics and Zypp Electric’s use of zero-emissions electric scooters for deliveries.
Furthermore, the report notes the rapid growth in digitalisation and cloud-based services, with Asia and the Pacific’s data centre market expected to reach $28 billion by 2024. Northeast Asia, especially China, is leading this expansion, with India and Singapore following closely. By the end of 2029, global 5G subscriptions are projected to exceed 5 billion, driven primarily by Northeast Asia and India. The report also mentions that nearly one-third of global mobile data traffic in 2023 originated from Northeast Asia, with significant contributions from Bhutan, India, and Nepal.
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