Research published by ReLondon, in partnership with the University of Oxford, shows that London households buy almost twice as much electrical and electronic equipment as they discard.

The average London household buys about 57.8kg of new electrical and electronic goods each year and gets rid of 30.2kg, the findings show. Between 2023 and 2024, the volume of these items held in homes across the capital rose by 4.4%, leaving an estimated 700kg in the average home.

The report tracks the movement of electrical and electronic equipment across London from purchase and use to disposal. It covers household goods as well as products used by businesses and institutions, from smartphones and laptops to washing machines and solar panels.

Consumption has risen sharply. In 2024, households, businesses and institutions in London bought 255,600 tonnes of new electrical and electronic equipment and discarded 134,500 tonnes, according to the analysis.

Households accounted for most of what was thrown away, with 80% of electrical and electronic items discarded in London during 2024 coming from homes rather than businesses or public bodies.

The research also points to a large reserve of products that could stay in use for longer. It estimates that around a quarter of the 134,500 tonnes discarded across the capital could have been reused or repaired rather than thrown away.

Had those items been redistributed instead of disposed of, they could have met close to 10% of London’s total demand for new electrical and electronic goods. The analysis also found that households currently repair or pass on only 21% of products at the end of their first life.

Waste routes

The study also highlights disposal methods. Of the electrical and electronic items discarded in 2024, 47.5% went through formal routes such as commercial collections, retail take-back schemes, council collections, household waste recycling centres, and doorstep or bring-bank services.

Another 52.3%, equal to 70,700 tonnes, went through non-official routes. Of that amount, 62.3% was placed in residual waste.

Households were responsible for 63% of the total volume of improperly disposed electrical and electronic items. Businesses and institutions, however, discarded more per unit: the average London business sent the equivalent weight of 24 laptops to non-official routes each year, compared with six laptops for the average household.

The research also examined emissions linked to the production and disposal of these products, excluding emissions created during use. It found that London households’ electrical and electronic goods generated 5.9 million tonnes of CO2e in 2024, rising to 9.1 million tonnes when business and institutional equipment was included.

According to the report, that footprint is larger than the carbon impact of the capital’s packaging and clothing sectors, though smaller than that of its food system. Five categories made up 41.9% of the household carbon footprint: small IT equipment, games consoles, flat-panel televisions, photovoltaic panels and washing machines.

Repair potential

The report suggests that diverting more discarded items into repair and reuse would materially change the picture. It estimates that household repair rates could rise from 1.7kg to 4.8kg per household if reusable and repairable goods now being thrown away were recovered, while reuse could increase from 8.1kg to 12.4kg.

Lamia Sbiti, Director of Business and Sector Support at ReLondon, said: “While this research highlights a gap between our current habits and our true potential, the exciting reality is that the foundations for a circular future are already here. From the everyday Londoners engaging in repair and redistribution to London’s growing ecosystem of innovators and repairers, the ingredients for change are in place. By tapping into these forces, we have a unique opportunity to shape a system that unlocks social value for residents, drives economic growth for the city and tackles climate change head-on.”

Mete Coban, Chair of ReLondon, said the study clarifies the scale of the problem in the capital. “Londoners are using more electrical items than ever before, from laptops and phones to kettles and air fryers. As we use more of these products, ReLondon’s new report helps us understand the impact they have on waste and pollution and shows where we can make a difference. Too many electrical items are still being thrown away when they could be repaired, reused or recycled. By helping people keep products for longer and recycle them properly, we can cut waste, reduce pollution, create green jobs, support our transition to a low-carbon, zero-waste city and continue building a greener, fairer London for everyone.”

Academic researchers involved in the work said the study provides a first broad picture of how products move through the capital’s economy. Lucia Corsini, Head of the Circular Economy and Sustainability Lab at the University of Oxford, said: “We are delighted to have undertaken this complex analysis of London’s electrical and electronic equipment system in partnership with ReLondon. For the first time, the study quantifies first-life and second-life pathways across a diverse range of household and non-household products – everything from a kettle to a washing machine to a solar panel – while also shedding light on informal and improper waste handling and treatment. We hope these findings provide an evidence base to support more informed industry and policy decision-making, helping to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy.”

Hannah Jameson, Corporate Director for Delivery, Innovation and Climate at London Councils, said: “This report provides a valuable evidence base for understanding how London can reduce waste, recover more value from electricals, and build a more resilient circular economy. It highlights the importance of working together across boroughs, businesses and communities to increase repair, reuse and proper collection of electrical and electronic equipment.”

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Dentsu has published research showing that 65% of UK consumers are uncomfortable with AI making purchases on their behalf, highlighting a limit to consumer trust as AI shopping tools become more widely used.

The survey of 2,003 UK adults found that more than a third of Britons use AI shopping tools, rising to more than half among Millennials and Generation Z. Almost 40% said they use AI to find the best product, compare brands and look for cheaper alternatives.

Even so, traditional sources still carry more weight in final decisions. Customer reviews were cited by 54% of respondents, followed by friends and family at 48% and in-store information at 45%.

The results suggest AI is becoming part of the product discovery process rather than replacing established buying habits. Consumers appear willing to use automated tools for research, but many still want control over the final transaction.

Social media showed a similar pattern. Two-thirds of respondents said social platforms make it easier to discover products, yet retailer websites scored higher on nearly every other part of the shopping experience, including personalisation, product information, convenience and pricing.

Trust was the clearest dividing line between the two channels, with 80% of respondents viewing retailer websites as more trustworthy than social media.

Store appeal

Physical shops also retained a strong role in the retail mix. Around 80% of consumers said they enjoy browsing in store, while roughly two-thirds said it is something they look forward to.

Store visits remain an important source of discovery. The research found that 83% of respondents discover products while browsing in person, indicating that bricks-and-mortar retail continues to shape purchasing behaviour despite the growth of online tools.

This creates a more complex picture for retailers than a simple shift from physical shopping to digital channels. Online services may offer convenience, while stores continue to play a broader role in browsing, discovery and brand experience.

The findings suggest retailers must balance several consumer habits at once: growing use of AI, heavy use of social media for discovery, continued reliance on retailer websites for trusted information and a lasting preference for physical browsing.

Neilson Hall, Managing Director, Commerce Media, Dentsu UK&I, said the spread of digital discovery is changing what shoppers want from brands and retailers.

“The last decades have been defined by making shopping journeys as smooth and easy as possible, with brands investing heavily into discovery. But now that discovery is everywhere, consumers are looking for something new: guidance. The future of retail will be shaped by reducing friction, simplifying decision, and building confidence and trust,” Hall said.

Blended journey

The findings indicate that in-store retail is not being displaced so much as repositioned. While eCommerce remains central for speed and ease, shops still provide a setting many consumers associate with inspiration and browsing.

Matthew Higgins, Managing Partner, Retail Media Activation, Dentsu UK&I, said physical stores now serve a different purpose from one-click online shopping.

“The store isn’t dead; it offers something different. Consumers visit physical stores to browse, to experience, to be inspired – in-store shopping now is something they actively look forward to as it offers them more than a smooth one-click online purchase can. These moments are extremely commercially valuable and complement the digital experience. The brands winning in physical retail in 2026 are the ones treating it like a media channel and an emotional connector,” Higgins said.

The research presents a retail market in which consumers are adopting new tools without abandoning older habits. AI may be gaining ground in search and comparison, but trust, reassurance and the appeal of browsing in person still shape how many Britons decide what to buy.

Bentley Systems has published research on digital readiness for infrastructure resilience, highlighting a gap between resilience strategies and operational delivery across infrastructure organisations.

Conducted by Verdantix and commissioned by Bentley, the study surveyed senior executives at large energy, mining, transport and water organisations worldwide. It found that more than 80% of respondents have mature or developing resilience strategies, but many are struggling to put those plans into practice because of limitations in their data and digital systems.

More than two-thirds of respondents identified fragmented data and disconnected digital systems as the two main technical barriers to improving resilience. Those gaps reduce visibility across assets, networks and climate-related risks, leaving operators without a unified view of how infrastructure systems perform under stress.

The report comes as extreme weather places fresh scrutiny on infrastructure resilience. It argues that climate-related disruption is exposing weaknesses not only in physical assets but also in the digital systems used to monitor, assess and manage them.

Execution gap

Verdantix said the central issue is not a lack of strategic intent, but execution. Many organisations are unable to connect operational, environmental and risk data in ways that support decision-making across whole networks rather than individual assets.

This challenge is shaping investment priorities. More than 70% of organisations surveyed plan to increase spending on digital twins over the next 24 months, while artificial intelligence is already being used in specific operational tasks.

Half of respondents said they use AI for inspections, and more than 40% have implemented AI-based failure prediction. The findings suggest companies are trying to shift from reactive maintenance to earlier identification of faults and vulnerabilities.

Amit Prothi, Director General of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, wrote the report foreword.

He said: “As climate-driven disruptions become more frequent and interconnected, infrastructure resilience must move from policy ambition to operational reality. Investments in risk-informed planning, data systems, and digital capabilities can significantly reduce the cascading impacts of infrastructure disruptions. Building resilience requires a system-wide approach.”

The report focuses on the role of open digital twins, which it describes as a way to bring together operational, environmental and risk information in one environment. Bentley argues this can help infrastructure owners manage interconnected systems and networks rather than monitor isolated assets.

Data problem

Priyanka Bawa, Principal Analyst at Verdantix, said the issue goes beyond technology spending and points to a broader operational problem in how information is organised and shared.

She said: “The research highlights a fundamental operational challenge. While most organisations have a resilience strategy in place, their digital systems are rarely integrated enough to execute it. When critical information remains siloed, infrastructure owners cannot accurately assess complex network vulnerabilities or demonstrate the clear return on investment necessary to secure future funding.”

That funding point may prove significant for operators under pressure to justify resilience spending while also addressing maintenance backlogs and climate adaptation. Without a clearer picture of risks across networks, companies may struggle to show where investment will reduce disruption or improve service continuity.

For Bentley, the findings support the case for wider use of connected data systems in infrastructure management. Infrastructure professionals already collect much of the information needed to understand climate risks, but often keep it in separate systems that limit its usefulness.

Chris Bradshaw, Chief Sustainability & Education Officer at Bentley Systems, addressed that point in comments included with the report.

He said: “Infrastructure professionals already collect much of the data needed to understand climate-related risks. The biggest barrier is fragmentation. Open digital twins help address this challenge by bringing disparate data sources into a single, accessible environment. This integration enables engineering teams to move from reactive maintenance toward predictive insights and more proactive, long-term resilience planning.”

The report draws on input from sectors where disruption can have broad economic and social effects, including energy, transport, mining and water. Its core argument is that resilience now depends as much on how infrastructure owners connect and use data as on the condition of the physical assets themselves.

One of the clearest findings is the scale of planned spending on digital twins, with more than 70% of respondents expecting to increase investment over the next two years.