If you’re looking to hear the latest on the Basel Convention, circular economy, recycling standards, repair mandates, and more, you won’t want to miss the first annual Technology Recycling Conference “Critical Elements for Recycling in a Circular Economy”. Taking place virtually on Nov. 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST, the conference is a collaborative effort between ISRI and the Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council.

“Over the past several years, the electronics recycling industry has shifted from a purely materials recycler to one that provides a variety of services,” explains Billy Johnson, ISRI’s chief lobbyist. “As Information Technology/Consumer Electronics (IT/CE) equipment has become smaller with less material, these services have not only become the bread and butter for these companies but are also a new way for electronics recyclers to become partners with the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). This relationship is essential to achieve the circular economy.”

Session highlights for the conference include the Basel Convention and Transboundary Trade; Data Deconstruction, Privacy, and Licensing; Changing Requirements of Compliance (R2); and Design for Circularity.

Paul Hagen, principal, Beveridge & Diamond, will kick the conference off by providing the latest information on the various developments occurring with the Basel Convention. Karen Fedder, director of ITAD at the Blancco Technology Group, will follow that up by explaining why data destruction is so necessary for people to feel comfortable trading in their electronics devices. According to Johnson, this is especially true for enterprises where employees carry the keys to the company’s information technology systems in their mobile devices. Moderated by ISRI’s vice president of sustainability Cheryl T. Coleman, this session will also feature Russ Ernst, executive vice president, Products & Technology at Blancco, who will augment Fedder’s presentation by utilizing his decades of experience in the enterprise recycling field.

“If recyclers want to understand the future of recycling including repair, refurbishment, and resell, they absolutely need to listen to these experts discuss the needs of their customers from data destruction to international standards,” Johnson says. “These sessions will provide the insight into the future of this industry. Miss it and you are likely to miss a head start in the IT/CE recycling industry!”

A fellow Washington, D.C.-based association, ITI represents companies from the information and communications technology industry. ITI has conducted similar seminars with other leading organizations.

ISRI previously collaborated with ITI on a variety of issues including the formation of the R2 standard and Basel. Johnson is hopeful that this latest partnership will result in a regular conference that both recyclers and manufacturers can look forward to every year.

“I’d like this conference to be the first annual one where both recyclers and manufacturers come together to learn about what the future entails. Hopefully, it can be the Davos for IT/CE manufacturers and recyclers,” Johnson says.

Sponsorships for the conference are available. To reserve a sponsorship, contact Jason Glei, ISRI’s vice president of marketing, at jglei@isri.org.