PROGRAMME

Digital healthcare devices contain valuable raw materials that are essential to the European economy. Currently many of these devices end up in landfill or are incinerated, meaning these raw materials are lost. The DiCE (Digital Health in the Circular Economy) project aims to address this. It focusses on extending the lifetime of digital healthcare devices by developing and piloting solutions across the whole product life-cycle.

In this dedicated session, the project will highlight the major outcomes achieved during the first year. The session will explore how the results can be uptaken within the healthcare sector and leveraged towards adjacent sectors.

This session will focus on scientific, societal and political aspects of plastics and plastic pollution. Plastic as a resource will be discussed, through the example of material-flow analysis and insights from the plastic industry. The possibilities of research to support decision makers in implementing science-based policy approaches will be examined, as well as the costs of relevant measures to reduce plastic pollution versus the costs plastic pollution exerts on our society. Stakeholders from industry, social sciences, environmental sciences and governmental institutions are invited to participate in this session.

This session aims at providing an update on circular economy standards as well as a space for dialogue among standard-setters and companies applying CE approaches to discuss drivers and how else can the uptake of CE standards be increased.

This session will showcase successful circular business models from small- and medium-sized enterprises, and spotlight how they are contributing to the transition to an inclusive and circular economy, creating future jobs. A selected number of enterprises will present their businesses and how they are tackling environmental and economic challenges in India and Kenya. This will set the basis for a discussion on possible replications of these solutions in other contexts during a panel discussion.

This session aims at understanding and clarifying latest developments of CE policies at EU and selected countries level, concepts for implementations, time horizons, environmental impacts, learning from different approaches and priorities. 

Digital healthcare devices contain valuable raw materials that are essential to the European economy. Currently many of these devices end up in landfill or are incinerated, meaning these raw materials are lost. The DiCE (Digital Health in the Circular Economy) project aims to address this. It focusses on extending the lifetime of digital healthcare devices by developing and piloting solutions across the whole product life-cycle.

One of the most prominent issues is to address how to influence consumer behaviour when devices reach their end of life/use. Several nudging strategies will be presented during this session, which aims to:

• Understand current audience behaviour in terms of what they do with small items of e-waste (e.g. smartphones, eReaders)
• Provide a consolidated overview of the outcome of the DiCE Sustain-a-thons and gather audience feedback on the proposed nudging strategies, including the impact on the value chain
• Provide an overview of smart collection boxes that will be used in the DiCE pilot schemes

To contribute to discussions on improving the management and financing for the sustainable management of Africa’s renewable and non-renewable natural resources, the African Development Bank and the International Resource Panel are collaborating to inspire talks on what challenges, best practices, actions, and roles international development partners can cooperate on facilitating sustainable management and investment in Africa’s natural resources. 

This session will introduce KYBURZ MultiLife and Battery Recycling, including a live factory tour.