Navigating uncharted waters: A multidimensional conceptualisation of exporting electronic waste

•The paper presents a conceptual framework of exporting electronic waste.•The paper advances a new perspective on e-waste.•The study identifies a host of pull and push factors in exporting electronic waste.•The implications of the findings are examined.

In spite of a growing body of scholarly works on the emerging phenomenon of exporting electronic waste (e-waste), international business, e-waste management, technological forecasting and strategy scholars have remained surprisingly silent on the subject. This paper presents an integrated conceptual framework that clarifies the boundaries and dimensions of exporting e-waste. By integrating the two types of recipient countries (i.e. developed and emerging economies) with two types of originating countries (i.e. developed and emerging economies) led to the development of an integrated 2 × 2 matrix. The integrated framework is then utilised to illuminate how push and pull factors specific to both the originating and recipient countries interact to determine nature and directions of exporting e-waste. The study outlines directions for future research and practical implications.