WIREDGOV

techUK to chair a debate with tech circular economy experts at Europe’s largest event on resource efficiency, Resource 2016.

There has been a lot of hype about the circular economy. The idea is relatively simple. At its heart is a principle to keep materials, components and products in productive use for as long as possible.

The motivation for pursuing a circular economy however is different for different actors. For policy makers in the largely import dependent European Union, geopolitical concerns about resource security, particularly for critical raw materials, has been a key motivation. For green groups, reduced consumption of virgin raw materials is the ultimate goal. While businesses are driven by commercial opportunities: to grow new revenue streams, to set themselves apart from the competition and to increase profitability.

As our circular economy report showed last year, the principles of circular economy are already well embedded in the tech sector, particularly in the business-to-business market where companies have already moved from product-based businesses to service based business models. Here soild commercial opportunities and rational business procurement have incentivised this transition.

But with electronic waste expected to reach close to 50 million tonnes before the end of the decade, there is pressure on companies in the tech sector to seriously consider how circularity can be rolled out in business-to-consumer markets.

Mass roll out is infinitely more challenging, not least because the psychology of consumer buying behaviour is inherently more complex. In a highly innovative and fast moving sector such as tech, where it is difficult to accurately predicted market trends, how can we develop the market pull for circular business models? Does pursuing circularity make sense for every product? What are the risks and where are the opportunities?

These will be some of the themes that techUK will be exploring next Thursday 10 March, with Samsung, Kyocera, Green Alliance and other tech circular economy experts, at free to attend Resource 2016 at London’s ExCeL centre. The event, which attracts over 2,000 attendees, is Europe’s leading dedicated exhibition and conference on the circular economy. Join us by registering at www.resource-event.com.