Background: Circular Electronics Partnership (CEP) is a coordination platform for global organizations and businesses that are actively working on creating a circular electronics industry. The CEP Secretariat is hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and is responsible for the daily management of the partnership, member coordination, and management and advancement of CEP projects. ERM is proud to be a Member of CEP and actively supports the circularity projects initiated by the CEP Secretariat, Partners and Members toward the actions in the roadmap.

ERM’s Role: ERM has played a critical role in the following projects:

  • Global Framework for E-Waste Recycler Due Diligence - ERM worked with the Responsible Business Alliance (CEP Partner) to develop a global framework for electronic waste recycler due diligence, and continues to provide advisory support on their implementation roadmap. Once implemented, this program will streamline e-waste recycler assurance to improve efficiency, transparency and circularity among industry stakeholders, particularly OEMs and recyclers, and provide overall confidence that the recycling phase of the product lifecycle delivers environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance as promised in OEM’s public sustainability strategies.
  • Unlocking the Scale of Recycled Steel Use in Information, Communication and Technology equipment (ICT) - ERM collaborated with the Global Electronics Council (CEP Partner) and its members to understand and address potential roadblocks and identify opportunities to scale the use of recycled steel in China used in ICT products. ERM’s collaborative team in the US, EMEA and China facilitated a dialog between manufacturers, producers and Chinese recycled steel suppliers to assess and identify potential barriers to fulfilling the demand for recycled steel, outline the specification for recycled steel material, and define and pledge sustainability goals that support the future demand and supply of recycled steel.
  • Program Management for Tech Consortium Pilot On Barriers to E-Waste Collection – ERM provided program management support to a collaboration of 5 global technology companies (CEP Members) on a scaled pilot focused on testing barriers to doorstep electronics collections and recycling. In this role, ERM supported the clients’ efforts in stakeholder engagement, oversight with their collaboration partners, and strategic advisory support on end-of-life best practices as the pilot evolved. Learnings from the pilot were summarized in a comprehensive report that was shared within the Members’ organizations for lessons learned and best practices to inform future efforts that support electronics collection.
  • Accelerate progress toward the digitization of the PIC procedure under the Basel Convention - Working with CEP Partner International Telecommunications Union (ITU), ERM developed the digital foundation, value proposition, and roadmap to create a digital model for piloting submittalls and monitoring PIC approvals between various parties. Given upcoming changes to the Basel Convention further restricting global movement of electronic waste, digitization of this manual and bureaucratic process is critical to enabling safe and legal pathways for international transboundary movement for recycling. The results of this pilot were shared at the Basel Convention COP 16 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2023.