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Enabling Circular Electronics
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Dear Reader,
According to the European Environmental Bureau, up to 80% of the lifecycle emissions of a smartphone happen in the production phase, transport and sale included. This is why longer lifetimes for smartphones and other electronics are key. If the lifetime of all smartphones in Europe would be extended by just one year, 2.1 million tons of carbon dioxide would be saved per year by 2030. That is the equivalent of taking more than 1 million cars off the road for a year. While the ‘right to repair’ movement already goes back to the 1950s, the European Commission has recently announced an effective ‘right to repair’ in Europe in several strategic documents, including the EU Green Deal.
The ‘right to repair’ touches upon the entire lifecycle of electronics. It starts with ‘designing for repair’, for example by making spare parts or software updates available. Once a product is ready for the market, the 'right to repair' includes information on its repairability in order to help consumers make informed choices. The repairability index in France, which scores electronic products from 1-10 according to their repairability, is a leading example. During the use phase, the ‘right to repair’ includes repairing skills for consumers, a repair infrastructure as well as affordable repair. Finally, society needs to reconsider the value we give used and repaired products, which is why looking at repair norms, cultural chasms, and value systems is just as important.
In the video below, Dr. Imke Schmidt, our project manager and Circular Economy expert explains how the CSCP approaches the ‘right to repair’.
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EU 'Right to Repair' Initiative
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To find out how we are enabling skills for businesses, cities, and consumers in view of the 'right to repair', watch our #EUCircularTalks discussion. In this issue, you can also read how our "Pro-long Electronics" campaign inspired consumers to give devices longer lives.
Would you like to join our collaborative work to leverage the ‚right to repair‘ and make circular electronics a reality? Get in touch with Imke Schmidt and let’s get started now!
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Good packaging should meet many criteria, including efficient cues on separating and sorting after product consumption. This is why consumer perspectives are key. Our Circular Talk “Together for Circular Packaging” gathers relevant actors from the packaging supply chain to discuss what it takes to ensure a seamless and quick transition to circular packaging. Join us!
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Two years into the pandemic, the way we work has changed considerably. While there is more room to work flexibly, there are also growing concerns as to how remote working can affect the mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of employees. Our upcoming event, organised by the CSR.digital project and the NRW Digital Health Industry Network looks into digital leadership strategies that ensure the wellbeing of employees in the era of home office. Join us on 1 April 2022!
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For the third year in a row, our BOOM holiday camps open their doors to teenagers and young adults to explore the jobs of the future through the lens of sustainability. In four different camps from April to August 2022, topics such as ‘daily consumption and design’, ‘energy and mobility’, ‘building and living’, and ’food’ will be dealt with in creative and hands-on ways. The registration for the BOOM camps 2022 is open – spread the word!
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E-waste has become a major waste stream in the world, with roughly 50 million tons a year. This is why the European Commission has announced a Circular Electronics Initiative in order to tackle the short lifespans of electronic devices and boost circular approaches. In March 2022, we discussed with businesses, CSOs, and researchers at the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference how we can collaborate to make circular electronics a reality. Watch the recording now!
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Bush encroachment, water shortages, and energy insecurity are among the most urgent challenges in Southern Africa. Our newly launched project, SteamBioAfrica aims at tackling such challenges by using a superheated steam technology to process bush biomass and generate clean, secure, and affordable energy.
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Most public and private organisations are rethinking their products, services, and way of working to become more sustainable. What if employees were empowered to kick-off and guide the strategy process with a strong cultural focus? We accompanied the Stadtwerke Wuppertal on such a journey – here’s what we learned!
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When it comes to breaking down what it really means to live a good life within the planetary boundaries, citizens and other actors alike often face gridlocks. The PSLifestyle Living Labs will bring together European citizens to co-create and shape visions of the good life as well as design an online tool to raise awareness and support behaviour change toward more sustainability. Get on board now!
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Two weeks, half a million views, over 15.000 interactions across social media channels. Our Pro-long Electronics campaign mobilised consumers and other relevant actors to reflect and act against the trend of ever-shorter lifecycles of electronic devices. Read further highlights and engage with us on empowering consumers to lead the way toward pro-longing the lifecycle of electronics!
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To ensure the safety of first responders during water contamination events and enhance cross-country collaboration, our PathoCERT project has brought together European and South Korean stakeholders and technology developers. Through the project's Communities of Practice they are advancing novel technologies and processes that boost the capacities of key actors along the emergency management system.
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With a two-digit growth per year, tourism has been key in Vietnam's economic development in the last decades. However, tourism is also a major contributor to the country's 730,000 tons of marine litter per year. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the tourism boom to a halt, causing losses but also offering opportunities for transformation. Read how our project Circular Tourism Vietnam is supporting a sustainable transformation of tourism by tackling environmental and resource challenges.
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Energy consumption has picked up rapidly in the last few years in Pakistan. The utilisation of biomass energy from the sugar industry can not only reduce carbon emissions but also increase industrial efficiency, create green jobs, and bring economic benefits to farmers. In the course of its four years, the Sugar REET project supported hundreds of SMEs and other relevant institutions to build capacities for transitioning to biomass-based electricity generation. Read the project’s highlights!
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Nicolas Barthelmé parted ways with his two-decade long career in marketing and communication to launch his own bottom-up community movement and bring more transparency and fairness to the food supply chain. As a new project manager at our Sustainable Lifestyles (SL) Team, he intends to use his experience to reduce food waste drastically. Read why he thinks Artificial Intelligence can be a force for good in these efforts!
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Adriana Ballón Ossio is particularly keen on exploring the interconnection between sustainability and local and rural development and mobilising action for more impact. As a new project manager at our Sustainable Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) Team, she is currently working on fostering circular tourism in Vietnam and developing sustainable value chains for the commercialisation of a solid biofuel in Southern Africa. Read more about what informs and drives her work!
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Biodiversity is interlinked to all sustainability goals: from food security and nutrition through to climate change mitigation and human health. This why we should make biodiversity protection and preservation a top priority”, says Frank Augustin, our new project manager at the Sustainable Infrastructure, Products and Services (SIPS) Team. Read more in this interview!
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When it comes to separating and sorting of packaging, are the cues given to consumers effective enough? What needs to be done on the design side? What kind of strategies are needed to encourage proper recycling? Our Packaging Club conducted innovative experimental tests with consumers to analyse what works and what doesn’t. Read the findings in this publication!
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The current textile production and consumption system is taking a great toll on our air, water, and land. A shift toward circularity calls for an uptake of circular design in business models in order to boost product durability, repairability, and recyclability but also to ensure the usage of secondary raw materials and a break from fast fashion. Read the latest ETC/CE reports for pathways to circular textiles and less microplastic pollution!
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Are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) leveraging the synergies between a digital and sustainable transformation? What kind of incentives do they need? Our latest study conducted together with the Öko-Institut summarises the state-of-the-art of digitalisation processes in SMEs and offers recommendations for policy approaches that would accelerate the sustainable-digital transition. Check it out!
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The German Supply Chain Act aims at creating a level playing field for German companies based on due diligence and with a focus on human rights and environmental protection. In this joint position paper, the CSCP, the Wuppertal Institute, and Sustainabill link the Supply Chain Act to the practice-oriented perspective of companies and explain what it means to them. Read the full paper!
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