The second edition of “E-waste Statistics: Guidelines for Classification, Reporting and Indicators 2015” provides an update on the universally relevant e-waste measurement framework and a classification of e-waste. The guidelines facilitate the implementation of harmonized concepts to measure the size of a country’s e-waste market, its transboundary e-waste movement and the e-waste recycling performance within that country. The guidelines also provide tools, practical guidelines, mathematical methodologies, and will help countries understand how to gather data sources in order to compile internationally comparable e-waste statistics. The Guidelines are published by the United Nations University (UNU), under the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, and with financing from the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (ITU, UNU, ISWA). It has undergone a public consultation and has been endorsed by ITU, ESCAP, ESCWA, OECD, UNCTAD, UNECA, Eurostat and UNEP/SBC.

The first edition of “E-waste Statistics: Guidelines for Classification, Reporting and Indicators 2015” provides a universally relevant e-waste measurement framework and a classification of e-waste. The guidelines facilitate the implementation of harmonized concepts to measure the size of a country’s e-waste market, its transboundary e-waste movement and the e-waste recycling performance within that country. The guidelines also provide tools, practical guidelines, methodologies, and will help countries understand how to gather data sources in order to compile internationally comparable e-waste statistics. The Guidelines are published by the United Nations University (UNU), under the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, and with financing from the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (ITU, UNU, ISWA). It has undergone a public consultation and has been endorsed by ITU, ESCAP, ESCWA, OECD, UNCTAD, UNECA, Eurostat and UNEP/SBC.

The central classification for e-waste are the so-called UNU-KEYS. The UNU-KEYS groups electronic products into homogeneous groups of average weight, market behaviour, and environmental relevance. UNU-KEYS has been developed as a backbone of data gathering and calculations. The international standardized Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, also known as the Harmonized System (HS) or tariff nomenclature, is globally used to classify traded products, including electronics. UNU-KEYS can be linked to the HS codes, as well to other and relevant applicable legislation such as the EU WEEE Directives.