Unlocking collective action for a circular electronics industry

How we got here

2019

January 2019

In January 2019, the UN E-Waste Coalition (including ITU), with support from the World Economic Forum (WEF), Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), published "A New Circular Vision for Electronics: Time for a Global Reboot" Working together, these organizations soon discovered a multitude of existing initiatives for circular electronics involving NGOs and companies. This revealed a significant risk of overlapping or misaligned objectives and outcomes. Recognizing this fragmentation and the potential inefficiencies, the partners realized that collaboration was key to driving meaningful change. Therefore, ITU, WEF and WBCSD joined forces with the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and the Global Electronics Council (GEC) to establish a credible coordination platform with complementary organizational expertise, laying the foundation for CEP.
2020

2020

At the beginning of 2020, the founding partners convened more than 80 individuals from over thirty of their respective member companies to align on a vision for a circular electronics industry by 2030 and co-develop a roadmap for how to achieve it. The outcome of this collaboration was the Circular Electronics Roadmap.
2021

March 2021

In March 2021, CEP was formally launched and started operating as an independent initiative, hosted by WBCSD.
2022

September 2022

In September 2022, CEP unveiled the Circular Electronics System Map, offering a unified framework for understanding 'circular electronics’.
2024

2024

The partnership released an updated version of the Circular Electronics Roadmap in 2024. This revision reflected the evolving landscape, reaffirming the Roadmap's clarity, accuracy and relevance in guiding the industry toward realizing the circular electronics vision.
2030

2030

Looking ahead to 2030, CEP aims to overcome the 40 industry-wide barriers identified in its Roadmap, facilitating the entire electronics value chain’s transition toward circularity.
2019
2020
2021
2022
2024
2030

Our community

Our community

Resources

Discover our resources

Resources
Circular Transition Indicators (CTI): Sector guidance – Electronic devices The CTI for Electronics Guidance empowers value chain stakeholders in the electronics industry to utilize a robust set of circularity metrics to mitigate risks, demonstrate value creation, and track their progress toward circularity. View More
Facilitating Trade Along Circular Electronics Value Chains Exploring challenges in reverse supply chains for electronics and ideas to facilitate safe, responsible trade for a circular economy in electronics. View More
Practical Experiences with the Basel Convention: Challenges, Good Practice and Ways to Improve Transboundary Movements of E-Waste in Low and Middle Income countries This paper, written by PREVENT Waste Alliance and StEP, aims to gather practical experiences with the export of waste electrical and electronic equipment. View More
Electronic approaches to the notification and movement documents The Basel Convention sets out a detailed Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure with strict requirements for transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and other wastes. View More
Work on improving the PIC procedure prior to BC COP-16 The Basel Convention sets out a detailed Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure with strict requirements for transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and other wastes. View More

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Join a global community of company front runners that are shaping the future of the circular electronics industry. Discuss challenges and solutions with peers and value chain partners in a pre-competitive space. Take an active role in influencing and implementing the strategic priorities for the industry on its path to a circular economy and drive progress on the Circular Electronics Roadmap. 

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