The company’s trajectory shifted after Lancaster discovered Professor Veena Sahajwalla’s research at the University of New South Wales in 2018. Her method for breaking down e-waste into raw materials provided a transparent alternative to the waste industry’s standard practice of smelting components for landfills. Inspired, Lancaster integrated this technology, creating 3D printer filament from ABS plastic sourced from discarded keyboards and mice. Today, his operation processes a fraction of the 60 million metric tons of e-waste produced annually, with plans to expand into data center management.
James Lancaster and the business of turning e-waste into industry
When James Lancaster founded Renew IT in Australia, he had no grand ambition to build a global empire. He simply wanted to support his growing family. Eleven years later, his company operates in nine countries, turning the massive global problem of electronic waste into a source for manufacturing feedstock.
Beyond technical innovation, Lancaster attributes the firm’s endurance to a culture of integrity and long-term retention. His first two employees remain with the business, and the company has even acquired competitors that once tempted him to quit. Now serving as a Professor of Practice in Industry and Innovation, Lancaster is pushing for a broader corporate shift toward sourcing remanufactured materials. He remains focused on the future, leveraging robotics and AI to improve the quality of recycled plastics by plating them with rare earth elements recovered from circuit boards.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!