Unveiling the Age Factor: The Influence of Cabinet Members’ Age on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Rates in European Nations

Utilizing panel quantile regression on an unbalanced dataset for 30 European countries from 2008 to 2018, this article seeks to investigate how the age of cabinet members influences e-waste recycling rates in European countries, alongside other relevant factors. Prior research has overlooked the age of cabinet members as a determinant of e-waste recycling. By addressing this gap, this study introduces a novel factor that could impact e-waste recycling rates. Thus, this study provides insights into how the demographic characteristics of parliament members, particularly the age of cabinet members, impact environmental improvement, as indicated by e-waste recycling rates. Estimation results indicate the existence of a nonlinear relationship (i.e., an inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve) between the age of cabinet members and the e-waste recycling rate, rather than a linear relationship. The calculated average turning point age is 49.087, indicating that the e-waste recycling rate increases as the age of cabinet members rises until reaching 49.087, after which the e-waste recycling rate declines. Overall, this study underscores the importance of the demographic characteristics of parliament members, particularly the age of cabinet members, in shaping e-waste recycling policies and environmental sustainability efforts. It emphasizes that the age of cabinet members and generational perspectives can influence their awareness, understanding, and commitment to addressing contemporary challenges such as e-waste.