Participation in the Seminar on E-waste Recycling Practices and the Use of Sustainability Standards

2018-06-28 | Beijing

The opening remarks for the event were made by Ms. Anne te Velde, Infrastructure and Environment Counsellor of the Embassy of the Netherlands, and Ms. Lotta Liljelund, head of the CSR Section of the Embassy of Sweden. After this introduction, multiple speakers representing, among others, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, ISEAL, Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), and the China Electronic Production Equipment Industry Association (CEPEA), presented their views on the topic of e-waste recycling from the points of view of policy-making and standard-setting in China, Sweden and the Netherlands, as well as through NGO and association initiatives. After a short break, members of European and Chinese business, including among others Changhong, Ericsson and JD, shared the experiences of their enterprises and their best practices in order to address the issue of efficient e-waste recycling. Finally, a round of Q&A and discussion took place.

Some of the main issues discussed in regard to the issue of e-waste recycling were the importance of developing credible standards/certification processes and of strengthening government-business-consumer cooperation. Two of the points raised when discussing the collection of electronic products was the consumers' unawareness of the issue, as well as their concerns related the personal data stored in their devices. During the Q&A session the Chamber raised the issue of the harmonisation of the Law on Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control, Law on Cleaner Production and Law on Promotion of Circular Economy, as there might be a clash in the recommended practices on each law (incineration v. recycling). Another question raised by the Chamber was regarding the Standardisation Law, and the creation of guiding standards for recycling businesses by different bodies/organisations.