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China’s second supply chain expo boosts green development: WBCSD President & CEO Peter Bakker

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06 Dec, 2024

This post was originally published on WBCSD

The 2nd China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), held from November 26 to 30, was a beacon for global collaboration in industrial and supply chains. With a focus on six major chains—Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Smart Vehicles, Digital Technology, Healthy Living, and Green Agriculture—the Expo was a testament to the importance of fostering partnerships for a sustainable future. This comprehensive display highlighted key segments of the chains from upstream to downstream, fostering clustering and complementary advantages among large, medium, and small enterprises. Over 600 companies and institutions from nearly 70 countries and regions participated in the exhibition. Vice President of China, Han Zheng, attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

WBCSD President & CEO Peter Bakker highlighted China’s pivotal role in advancing green technologies that are crucial for decarbonizing economic and industrial processes. With China leading in clean energy, smart mobility, battery, and hydrogen technologies, Bakker emphasized the country’s potential to remain at the heart of the global industrial supply chain.

Without global supply chains, the world would be much different,” Bakker stated. “China, as a key link in many supply chains, is crucial for our continued cooperation. It’s also imperative that we work towards making supply chains greener; innovation and collaboration are key to achieving these goals. WBCSD will continue to promote green development with Chinese enterprises.

Peter Bakker, WBCSD President & CEO

Media Coverage

Peter Bakker Highlights:

CCTV: Without a global supply chain, the world would look very different. China plays a crucial role in many supply chains, so it’s clear that continuing to work together is essential. Read here.

CGTN: The U.S. is not the only country in the world. While the U.S.’s involvement is important, it will not determine the future of the planet. Read here.

China News: Peter Bakker emphasized at China’s Supply Chain Expo that China’s leadership in green technologies—like clean energy and hydrogen—can drive global decarbonization. He highlighted China’s investments in renewable energy and the importance of carbon accounting and a circular economy for sustainable supply chains. Bakker also stressed material reuse and innovation as opportunities for new jobs and sustainability improvements. Read here.


Dominic Waughray Highlights:

China News: Dominic Waughray highlighted China’s innovations in clean energy, batteries, and manufacturing as key to decarbonization. Waughray stressed that without China’s input, green technology costs would rise by 20%. He advocated for international cooperation, citing initiatives like the Belt and Road and partnerships with emerging markets to align green development with equitable growth and poverty reduction. Read here.

CRI Online (China Radio International): Dominic Waughray stated that the scale and diversity of domestic and international exhibitors participating in this year’s Chain Expo are immense, highlighting China’s pivotal role in the global supply chain. He pointed out that currently, enhancing the resilience of the global supply chain and deepening international cooperation in industrial and supply chains are becoming increasingly important. China’s innovative capabilities and technological level in the supply chain field are remarkable, and its active participation in global economic and trade cooperation has played a crucial role in maintaining the stability of the global supply chain. Read here.

The post China’s second supply chain expo boosts green development: WBCSD President & CEO Peter Bakker first appeared on WBCSD.

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Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

In June, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 E-Waste World, Battery Recycling, Metal Recycling, and ITAD & Circular Electronics Conference & Expo events in Frankfurt, Germany.

Speaking in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track on a panel with global Circular Economy leaders from Foxway Group, ERI and HP, we explored the evolving role of IT asset disposition (ITAD) and opportunities in the circular electronics economy.

The event’s focus on advancing circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact delivered a series of insights and learnings. From this assembly of international expertise across 75+ countries, here are some points from the presentations that stood out for me:

1. Environmental impact of the digital economy

Digitalisation has a heavy material footprint in the production phase, and lifecycle thinking needs to guide every product decision. Consider that 81% of the energy a laptop uses in its lifetime is consumed during manufacture (1 tonne in manufacture is equal to 10,000 tonnes of CO2) and laptops are typically refreshed or replaced by companies every 3–4 years.

From 2018 to 2023, the average number of devices and connections per capita in the world increased by 50% (2.4 to 3.6). In North America (8.2 to 13.4) and Western Europe (5.6 to 9.4), this almost doubled. In 1960, only 10 periodic table elements were used to make phones. In 1990, 27 elements were used and now over 60 elements are used to build the smartphones that we have become so reliant on.

A key challenge is that low-carbon and digital technologies largely compete for the same minerals. Material resource extraction could increase 60% between 2020 and 2060, while demand for lithium, cobalt and graphite is expected to rise by 500% until 2050.

High growth in ICT demand and Internet requires more attention to the environmental footprint of the digital economy. Energy consumption of data centres is expected to more than double by 2026. The electronics industry accounts for over 4% of global GHG — and digitalisation-related waste is growing, with skewed impacts on developing countries.

E-waste is rising five times faster than recycling — 1 tonne of e-waste has a carbon footprint of 2 tonnes. Today’s solution? ‘Bury it or burn it.’ In terms of spent emissions, waste and the costs associated with end-of-life liabilities, PCBAs (printed circuit board assembly) cost us enormously — they generally achieve 3–5% recyclability (75% of CO2 in PCBAs is from components).

2. Regulating circularity in electronics

There is good momentum across jurisdictions in right-to-repair, design and labelling regulations; recycling targets; and voluntary frameworks on circularity and eco-design.

The EU is at the forefront. EU legislation is lifting the ICT aftermarket, providing new opportunities for IT asset disposition (ITAD) businesses. To get a sense, the global market for electronics recycling is estimated to grow from $37 billion to $108 billion (2022–2030). The value of refurbished electronics is estimated to increase from $85.9 billion to $262.2 billion (2022–2032). Strikingly, 40% of companies do not have a formal ITAD strategy in place.

Significantly, the EU is rethinking its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management targets, aligned with upcoming circularity and WEEE legislation, as part of efforts to foster the circular economy. A more robust and realistic circularity-driven approach to setting collection targets would better reflect various factors including long lifespans of electronic products and market fluctuations.

Australia and New Zealand lag the EU’s comprehensive e-waste mandated frameworks. The lack of a systematic approach results in environmental degradation and missed positioning opportunities for businesses in the circular economy. While Australia’s Senate inquiry into waste reduction and recycling recommended legislating a full circular economy framework — including for imported and local product design, financial incentives and regulatory enforcement, New Zealand remains the only OECD country without a national scheme to manage e-waste.

3. Extending product lifecycles

Along with data security and digital tools, reuse was a key theme in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track of the conference. The sustainable tech company that I lead, Greenbox, recognises that reuse is the simplest circular strategy. Devices that are still functional undergo refurbishment and are reintroduced into the market, reducing new production need and conserving valuable resources.

Conference presenters highlighted how repair over replacement is being legislated as a right in jurisdictions around the world. Resources are saved, costs are lowered, product life is extended, and people and organisations are empowered to support a greener future. It was pointed out that just 43% of countries have recycling policies, 17% of global waste is formally recycled, and less than 1% of global e-waste is formally repaired and reused.

Right to repair is a rising wave in the circular economy, and legislation is one way that civil society is pushing back on programmed obsolescence. Its global momentum continues at different speeds for different product categories — from the recent EU mandates to multiple US state bills (and some laws) through to repair and reuse steps in India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Commission has done a scoping study to identify product groups under the Ecodesign framework that would be most relevant for implementing an EU-wide product reparability scoring system.

Attending this event with the entire electronic waste recycling supply chain — from peers and partners to suppliers and customers — underscored the importance of sharing best practices to address the environmental challenges that increased hardware proliferation and complex related issues are having on the world.

Ross Thompson is Group CEO of sustainability, data management and technology asset lifecycle management market leader Greenbox. With facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Greenbox Group provides customers all over the world a carbon-neutral supply chain for IT equipment to reduce their carbon footprint by actively managing their environmental, social and governance obligations.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mustafa Ovec

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