Waste to Wearable: Upcycling Electronic Waste into Sustainable Jewellery for a Circular Economy

Abstract

Electronic waste is among the world’s fastest-growing waste streams. The Global E-waste Monitor projects generation of about 70 million tonnes in 2026, rising to around 82 million tonnes by 2030. Recycling is not keeping pace. In 2022, only 22.3% of the 62 million tonnes generated worldwide was documented as properly recycled, and only about one-fifth of e-waste is expected to be formally collected and recycled by 2030. This widening gap calls for sustainable recovery approaches. Printed circuit boards contain significant quantities of valuable metals, and turning them into products such as jewellery offers a pathway toward a circular economy. This study explores the transformation of discarded electronic components, including printed circuit boards, resistors, capacitors and transistors, into artificial jewellery through upcycling and sustainable design principles. Rather than treating e-waste as a burden, the study treats it as a resource for creating aesthetically appealing and environmentally responsible wearable products, while promoting resource recovery, waste reduction and circular economy practices.

Introduction

The study explores an innovative and sustainable approach to electronic waste (e-waste) management by transforming discarded electronic components into aesthetically appealing jewellery and wearable accessories. The rapid growth of e-waste worldwide, driven by technological advancement and shorter product life cycles, has created serious environmental and health concerns. Conventional disposal methods, such as landfilling and incineration, contribute to pollution and waste valuable materials, including gold, silver, copper, and other recoverable resources.

The literature review highlights the global e-waste challenge and the importance of adopting circular economy practices that promote reuse, recycling, and resource recovery. In the Indian context, the study aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, E-Waste Management Rules, 2022, Swachh Bharat Mission, Digital India, Make in India, Skill India Mission, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These initiatives encourage environmental protection, sustainable resource utilisation, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The study addresses a research gap by focusing on the creative reuse of electronic components, an area that has received comparatively less attention than conventional recycling and metal recovery. Its primary objectives are to investigate the potential of e-waste as a resource for jewellery and accessory design and to evaluate the resulting products in terms of durability, aesthetics, resource efficiency, and waste reduction.

The methodology adopts an experimental, design-based research approach that combines material recovery, upcycling, and sustainable product development. Discarded LED string lights, decorative lighting, resistors, capacitors, transistors, and other circuit components are repurposed into wearable products. The findings suggest that these materials can be transformed into attractive, value-added accessories, demonstrating the potential of creative design to support environmentally responsible waste management.

The study also highlights educational and environmental benefits, including interdisciplinary learning, environmental awareness, sustainable design education, community engagement, and entrepreneurship. It encourages students and communities to view waste as a valuable resource rather than an environmental burden.

In conclusion, the study presents e-waste upcycling into jewellery and wearable accessories as a creative and potentially economically viable strategy for sustainable waste management. By combining resource recovery with innovative product design, the approach supports waste reduction, circular economy principles, sustainable manufacturing, and the vision of a Sustainable Bharat. Further systematic evaluation would help establish the products’ durability, environmental benefits, and commercial feasibility.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that electronic waste can be turned from an environmental challenge into a valuable resource through sustainable product design. The proposed approach supports resource recovery, waste minimisation and circular economy principles while producing aesthetically appealing and functional wearable products. Beyond product development, the study shows how interdisciplinary collaboration among materials science, environmental engineering, fashion design and sustainability can generate innovative solutions for e-waste management.

References

[1] M. Jain, D. Kumar, J. Chaudhary, S. Kumar, S. Sharma, A.S. Verma, Waste Management Bulletin, 1 (2023) 34–44. [2] Shahabuddin, M., Uddin, M.N., Chowdhury, J.I. et al. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technology, 20(2023) 4513-4520.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Aadhar Tyagi, Nidhi Sharma, Sunita Dhawan, Poonam Sharma. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.