Impact
What reuse can do, and how we talk about it honestly.
We don’t publish made-up impact numbers. Here’s the thinking behind ReSpark, the research it builds on, and a live global estimate of the problem we’re working on.
Environmental impact
Keeping useful parts in use.
Extending the useful life of suitable components can support resource efficiency and reduce the need for new materials.
When a working motor, LED or solar panel is recovered from a discarded device and used again, it can do a job that might otherwise need a newly made part. ReSpark applies that idea to learning kits.
Around 40 percent: Average greenhouse-gas emission-reduction potential associated with reuse and product-life-extension measures studied
Source: European Environment Agency (EEA), 2026, “Assessing the climate mitigation potential of the circular economy”
A broader finding, not a ReSpark measurement. This figure comes from research on reuse and product-life-extension measures in general. It is not a measurement of ReSpark kits. ReSpark applies this circular idea to STEM education by giving suitable electronic components a second use.
Live estimate
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tonnes of e-waste generated worldwide so far in 2026, at about 2.28 tonnes every second
Educational impact
Learning by building, not just reading.
Students learn by physically building circuits and projects instead of only studying concepts theoretically.
Wiring an LED, seeing a motor turn, or watching a magnet trip an alarm makes ideas concrete. Mistakes become part of the lesson: rewire, test again, understand why.
Circuits
LEDs, switches and resistors on a breadboard.
Motors
How electrical energy becomes motion.
Sensors
Magnetic detection and more.
Renewable energy
What a solar panel can and can’t do.
Circular economy
One component, a second purpose.
Instead of a straight line from product to landfill, suitable parts get another useful life.
- 01Discarded electronics
- 02Suitable components
- 03Tested parts
- 04STEM kits
- 05New learning experience
Responsible reuse
Not every component is suitable for reuse.
Reuse only makes sense when it’s safe and reliable. ReSpark uses inspection, testing and appropriate handling to decide what goes into a kit and what doesn’t.
Read our safety approach- Inspected and tested. Components are checked for damage and tested before inclusion.
- Unsuitable parts are excluded. Damaged or unsuitable components never go into kits.
- No salvaged battery cells. They are never included in ReSpark kits.
- New where it matters. Selected new components are used where reuse isn’t the right choice.
- Proper e-waste channels. Unsuitable e-waste should be handled through appropriate e-waste channels.