Moderator: Jody Erickson

Speakers: Jean Cox Kearns (Lenovo), Dan Reid (CEP), Kelly Scanlon (Global Electronics Association), Ted Briggs (Google)

Our Day Four “Forward Together” workshop sessions close out the eSummit with a collaborative bang! The idea was born from observing the conversations that spontaneously popped up throughout last year’s eSummit as panelists, other speakers, and audience members chatted between sessions.  Designers talking to recyclers. Repair techs engaged with OEMs. And data experts talking with policymakers and IT asset managers. It became clear that these were people who don’t normally spend much time together, let alone collaborate on common problems. 

Since all these stakeholders will be together at the eSummit, we saw a unique opportunity to foster those conversations, structured around the question, “How do we improve circularity at each stage of the electronics lifecycle?”  

So, for half a day, you’ll join cross-functional teams at workshop-style tables to explore what’s possible along the entire electronics lifecycle, including:

• Starting at the beginning, what’s needed to increase the amount of materials sourced through urban mining and decrease what is mined from the earth?  

• Then, how can we leverage design & manufacturing to enable greater repairability and recyclability?

• Next up, the use phase. How can we keep devices in use longer through robust ecosystems that encourage repair and second and third use cycles? How can we combat product hibernation? 

• And finally, at the end of life, how can we optimize systems and reduce costs to maximize the amount of materials that stay in the system? 

You’ll brainstorm, blue sky, and push current boundaries alongside manufacturers, transporters, retailers, recyclers, refurbishers, regulators, and others across the electronics ecosystem to develop practical solutions that will help accelerate our progress toward true electronics sustainability.