On May 4, 2023 (15.00 – 16.30 CEST), the World Resources Forum and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will host a launch webinar on the recently published Eco-innovation Electronics Supplement. The publication is part of the project “Global best practices on emerging chemical issues of concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)” (2019 – 2023), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by UNEP and executed by the SAICM Secretariat. The webinar “UNEP Eco-innovation supplement for electronics – business models, circularity and learnings from developing countries” will present the key messages, findings and lessons learned from the publication. Register here.
Background
Electronics are one of the fastest evolving, most innovative and highly competitive industries. Demands for certain critical resources have increased with an ever-more complex mix of chemicals of concern (CoC) emerging that are causing harmful impacts on human health and the environment. While chemical-related impacts can often occur during a product’s use or end-of-life, decisions influencing product ingredients are taken further upstream of the value chain. Thus, the entire value chain must be considered through impactful action and interventions made at upstream stages to protect human health and the environment from chemical pollution. This is from particular relevance to SMEs operating in the electronics value chain, which are mostly found in developing countries. These SMEs often take part in the upstream value chain, namely the assembly processes (through imports of parts from manufacturers in e.g. Asia) while another majority of SMEs is situated at the downstream value chain in dealing with the sustainable management of end-of-first-life electronics, contained CoC and e-waste within emerging economies. The project “Global best practices on emerging chemical policy issues of concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)” addresses the use of chemicals of concern (CoC) in the three priority sectors – toys, building products and electronics – and aims at increasing the ambition of different stakeholders to track and control chemicals in the supply chains of these sectors.
Eco-innovation Electronics Supplement
The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) new Eco-innovation Electronics Supplement was created to respond to the electronics sector’s need for more guidance in building resilient, competitive, and sustainable business models that reduce harmful (chemical) impacts in the products of SMEs. Designed together with the World Resources Forum Association (WRFA) and to be read alongside UNEP’s Eco-innovation (Eco-i) Manual, the supplement provides electronics specific examples, learning case studies, and advice on applying the eco-innovation methodology and its opportunities in the electronics sector with a focus on SMEs in developing countries. The development and validation process of the UNEP Eco-innovation Supplement for Electronics was supported with findings of six pilots conducted in 4 Colombian companies and 2 Peruvian ones.
Launch webinar
This launch webinar entitled “UNEP Eco-innovation supplement for electronics – business models, circularity and learnings from developing countries” aims to present the key messages, findings and lessons learned from the Eco-innovation Electronics Supplement. The launch webinar has the following objectives:
- Raise awareness of the major findings and lessons learned of the Eco-innovation Electronics Supplement
- Gather different stakeholders from the electronics value chain, in particular from developing countries, and obtain their perspectives on the findings, experiences and lessons learned of the supplement.
Based on these objectives, the agenda of the webinar will be as follows:
- Welcome and opening remarks
- Global context of the project
- Presentation on key findings and lessons learned from the Eco-Innovation Electronics Supplement
- Presentation of the experiences and knowledge gained from eco-innovation pilot companies (MABE, PCSHEK, Compumax)
- Q&A session
- Looking into the future and wrap up
Details
- Date: 4 May 2023, 15.00 – 16.30 (CEST)
- Format: Online webinar (Zoom)
- Registration: mandatory and free of charge
- Speakers
- Dr. Sonia Valdivia (WRFA)
- Dr. Robert Reinhardt (UNEP)
- Gonzalo Rubio (CEO, PCSHEK) & Juan Fernando Jaramillo (COO, PCSHEK)
- MABE (TBC)
- Compumax (TBC)
Register here
Download the report
The report is freely available both in English and Spanish:
