A New Research Protocol to Develop Multiple Case Studies on Illicit Activities in Trade, Logistics, Processing and Disposal of WEEE - Waste in Electrical and Electronic Equipment

The illegal trade and disposal of electronic waste - known as e-waste or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) - is increasingly becoming a threat to global environmental health and security. To enhance the capabilities of governments in the EU and beyond to combat this growing crime, INTERPOL, Cross-border Research Association (CBRA) and five other partners launched the 2-year Countering WEEE Illegal Trade (CWIT) project in September 2013, funded by the EU's 7th Framework Program. The purpose of this paper is to present a new case study protocol for harmonized collection of detailed data on several dozen illicit WEEE cases across the globe. The CWIT case study protocol aims to capture multiple aspects of WEEE violations: (i) What was done wrongfully in e-waste trade and how; (ii) Which WEEE products and fractions, geographies, and transport modes were involved; (iii) Who was involved in illicit acts; (iv) What were / would have been the illicit economic benefits, and negative socio-economic impacts; (v) How was detection and inspection carried out; and (vi) What is the up-to-date situation with investigations, prosecutions and punishments? The outcomes of three preliminary illicit WEEE cases - with non-sensitive, anonymized data - are included in the paper. It is anticipated that the illicit WEEE case studies will play a central role in the development of policy, enforcement, technology, training and other recommendations to combat more effectively and efficiently the wide spectrum of regulatory violations in trade, logistics and disposal of WEEE in the future.