PAKISTAN’S digital transformation is accelerating—smartphones, laptops, solar inverters and consumer electronics are penetrating every tier of society.

Yet beneath this progress lies a silent and expanding crisis: electronic waste (e-waste). While globally framed as an environmental issue, in Pakistan it is increasingly a governance failure with far-reaching implications for public health, trade and industrial policy. The country stands at a critical juncture where unmanaged technological growth is colliding with weak regulatory capacity.

Globally, e-waste has surpassed 62 million tonnes annually and is projected to approach 80 million tonnes by 2030. Pakistan’s contribution, though smaller in absolute terms, is rising rapidly due to increased imports of electronics and second-hand devices. More concerning is the structural reality that over 80–90% of e-waste in Pakistan is processed through informal channels. This means that the overwhelming majority of discarded electronics are dismantled, recycled or dumped without environmental safeguards, turning what could be an economic resource into a toxic liability. Legally, Pakistan’s response remains fragmented. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act provides a broad environmental framework but does not specifically address e-waste management, lifecycle responsibility or recycling standards. At the international level, Pakistan is a signatory to the Basel Convention, which regulates cross-border movement of hazardous waste. However, enforcement gaps persist. Misdeclared shipments of used electronics continue to enter through ports, often under the label of reusable goods, exposing weaknesses........

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