Reuse trends, opportunities and barriers in the Scottish EEE sector
Reuse trends, opportunities and barriers in the Scottish EEE sector
Access the research report.
Background
The Scottish Government estimates that approximately 1.6 to 2 million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are disposed of each year in the UK.
Current efforts in Scotland are largely centred around recycling. As a result, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) represents a major and largely untapped opportunity to scale reuse, including preparation for reuse activities, such as refurbishment and repair, and accelerate Scotland’s transition to a circular economy.
To understand how Scotland can unlock this potential, Zero Waste Scotland commissioned GC Insight, working in partnership with Resource Futures and Icaro Consulting, to deliver a comprehensive assessment of the EEE reuse landscape. The research explored current opportunities, barriers, trends, and the interventions needed to support the growth of mainstream reuse.
The research objectives were:
- To understand the current and future landscape of EEE reuse in Scotland and beyond.
- To understand consumer behaviour related to EEE reuse.
- To understand Scotland's EEE reuse sector.
Method
A mixed-methods approach combined a literature review, consumer research, and stakeholder engagement. The literature review examined policy, market trends, barriers, business models and economic benefits using academic, policy and industry sources published between 2015 and 2025.
Consumer research included a nationally representative survey of 1,004 Scottish adults and a week-long online qualitative community engagement exercise involving 30 participants. This explored attitudes, behaviours, motivations and barriers relating to repair, reuse and refurbished products.
Stakeholder engagement involved interviews with 29 organisations and two workshops, with 11 participants across industry, government, academia and third sectors. Findings were analysed thematically to develop evidence-based insights and recommendations for scaling EEE reuse in Scotland.
Literature review
Existing evidence shows that expanding EEE reuse could deliver significant economic value for Scotland, creating skilled jobs, reducing reliance on imported products, and strengthening local supply chains. Scotland also benefits from an established base of organisations already active in repair, refurbishment and resale, offering a strong foundation for growth. In parallel, the policy landscape is evolving, creating timely opportunities to embed reuse more deeply within future regulation and system design.
However, progress is being constrained by several systemic barriers. A lack of reuse targets - coupled with an emphasis on recycling - means limited investment and strategic focus.
The literature identifies further challenges that constrain the scale and efficiency of reuse:
- Refurbishment and repair costs often exceed what consumers are willing to pay, limiting commercial viability.
- Inconsistent product repairability and limited availability of spare parts make many products difficult or uneconomic to refurbish or repair.
- Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) complicate the assessment of items for reuse.
- Absence of consistent quality assurance frameworks reduces confidence across the supply chain.
- Fragmented activity and weak infrastructure hinder reuse scaling.
- Low visibility limits consumer and business demand for reused and refurbished goods.
Consumer research
Demand for refurbished EEE already exists and has the potential to grow. Current uptake is strongest among younger, tech savvy consumers who see refurbishment as a route to higher spec devices at affordable prices.
Our research found that 45% of people already own a refurbished electronics product and 61% say they would consider buying refurbished in future, so these findings demonstrate there is clear market demand for refurbished products over brand new. It also challenges any existing perceptions that reused products are niche. Even when it comes to pre-owned phones (not necessarily refurbished models), 53% of 18-34 year-olds own a pre-owned smartphone, which demonstrates the perceived benefit of re-owning technology especially at a younger age. This figure compares with just 22% of over-65s.
Yet the following factors limit wider adoption:
- Low visibility - refurbished items are seldom marketed alongside new products, leaving many consumers unaware of available options.
- Price expectations - discounts are often insufficient to shift mainstream consumers from buying new as a result of perceptions of lower quality. For example, our research showed that consumers would be looking for at least a 38% discount on refurbished products.
Consumer confidence can be strengthened through guarantees, which were found to be a critical driver of trust, especially when purchasing from lesser-known organisations. Presentation also matters, as clear product descriptions, high-quality images, and transparent information on refurbishment work can all influence purchase decisions.
Stakeholder research
Stakeholders confirmed that reuse activity is already present across Scotland’s EEE system but highlighted several challenges:
- Reuse is not meaningfully measured, making it difficult to assess performance or target interventions.
- Activity is fragmented, with organisations using diverse operating models for collection, triage, refurbishment, and resale.
- Reuse potential varies widely by product type, meaning a one size fits all approach will not work.
Conclusions
Scaling up mainstream EEE reuse in Scotland will require coordinated action across policy, infrastructure, supply chains, and consumer engagement. The research highlights six priority areas:
- Clear strategic direction and leveraging of legislative opportunities to drive increased reuse.
- Better data on EEE flows in Scotland to identify opportunities and target interventions effectively.
- Greater visibility of reuse options to increase consumer awareness and demand.
- Reliable, high-quality supply of products for refurbishment, enabling efficiency and commercial viability.
- Investment in skills, training and infrastructure to support long-term sector growth.
- Robust quality assurance mechanisms and awareness raising to build consumer and industry confidence in refurbished products.
Next steps
This research is the first stage of a multi-year programme designed to support the mainstream adoption of EEE reuse across Scotland. By building a robust understanding of the current landscape, it identifies the key opportunities, barriers, system gaps and emerging trends that will shape the future of reuse.
The findings of this report will form part of the evidence base for the next phase of work, which aims to develop a systems map of the EEE reuse sector and a set of prioritised interventions. This in turn can help accelerate reuse, strengthen market conditions and support a more circular and resilient EEE sector in Scotland.
For this next phase of work, we want to hear from everyone with a role to play in shaping Scotland’s future EEE sector. Whether you are a designer, manufacturer or retailer of electrical products, or a repair or reuse business already working with EEE, or looking to do so, we would welcome your involvement. Whether or not you contributed to the development of this report, we are keen to draw on your insight, expertise and experience as we take this work forward.
Downloads
Access the research reports documents below.
Reuse trends, opportunities and barriers in the Scottish EEE sector
The full research report.
Reuse trends, opportunities and barriers in the Scottish EEE sector – Report appendix
Accompanying appendix.
Reuse_trends_ opportunities_ barriers_Scottish EEE_sector_Appendix_October_2026.pdf
Reuse trends, opportunities and barriers in the Scottish EEE sector – Charts document
Accompanying chart data.