​Session: "Sustainable life-cycle management of ICT equipment"

E-waste has a negative impact on the environment and human health if not handled properly, but can also provide opportunities to create green jobs in collection and dismantling operations and economic incentives for recovering valuable metals from end-of-life ICT equipment. Panelists will discuss the social and economic context of e-waste management including indicators, statistics and also the patent landscape for e-waste recycling technologies as basis for well informed decision making to set up sustainable e-waste recycling industries in developing countries in order to implement a comprehensive ICT equipment life-cycle approach.

Moderator: Matthias Kern, Senior Progamme Officer, Technical Assistance Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockolm Conventions UNEP [Biography]

• Cristina Bueti, Advisor ITU-T Study Group 5, ITU: "E-waste: from threat to opportunity" [Biography] [Presentation]
• Kees Balde, United Nations University, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS): "Quantifying waste of electrical and electronic appliances" [Biography] [Presentation]
• Irene Kitsara, Project Officer, Patent Information Section, Access to Information and Knowledge Division, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO):"Patent Landscape Report on Recycling Technologies for End-of Life ICT Equipment" [Biography] ​[Presentation]