Electronics Sustainability Leaders Bring Big Ideas to New Orleans

New Orleans, LA, September 26, 2023 - As the world relies more heavily on electronics, questions around reuse, recycling and wider device sustainability are becoming increasingly critical. Last week, leaders from across the electronics value chain connected in New Orleans to help build connections and move toward a more sustainable future.

More than 1,200 attendees took part in the 2023 E-Scrap & E-Reuse Conference, held Sept. 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The conference featured high-level panel discussions, info-heavy workshops, a wide variety of networking opportunities and more.

A few of the hundreds of companies and organizations with a presence at the show: tech giants Google and Dell, recycling and asset management experts Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations and Regency Technologies, trade groups the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and the Consumer Electronics Association, repair hub iFixit, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"The energy at this year's event was palpable," noted Dan Leif, editorial director of Resource Recycling, Inc., the company that produces the E-Scrap Conference. "Significantly growing electronics recycling and reuse in North America will require engagement from a wide variety of stakeholders. It was gratifying to see conversations and knowledge-sharing happen in real-time, among the companies and individuals that can spark real change."

The E-Scrap Conference was held this year as a joint venture with the E-Reuse Conference, an event produced by E-Reuse Services. The objective of conference organizers was to bring leaders from across the value chain together, creating cohesion that is increasingly important as the electronics ecosystem evolves.

"Electronics recycling, reuse and sustainability are deeply intertwined," said Sarah Kim, managing principal at E-Reuse Services. "As the business evolves, people need to understand wider trends as well as how other companies are developing strategies and priorities. We were so excited to help bring our attendees the information and connections they need to thrive."

Topics covered the conference sessions and workshops included:

How sustainability is shaping the future of devices
Setting up processing facilities for safety
The innovation reshaping electronics management
Strategies to recover more plastics from electronics
Winning together: How to build true collaboration

The conference also featured Mobile Repair Day, a one-day event on Monday, Sept. 18 that provided market intelligence, management insight and industry connection to owners and managers of mobile repair shops.

This year's event handed out several awards to distinguished members of the industry. Two industry members were inducted into the E-Reuse Hall of Fame. The first was Mike Watson, an industry subject matter expert with 30-plus years of global experience in producer responsibility, technology, stakeholder engagement, and operations. The second was Tony Sciarrotta, executive director of the Reverse Logistics Association. Meanwhile, the Rising Star Award was given to Nick Fazio, founder and CEO of Quick Mobile Repair. And the Innovation Award went to Jason Brown, Microsoft's director of Design for Service & Repair.

See the full list of topics and speakers from last week's event.

About the E-Scrap & E-Reuse Conference

The E-Scrap & E-Reuse Conference combines two annual events that have served the electronics management sector for 20 years each. The E-Scrap Conference, produced by Resource Recycling, Inc., brings together the full electronics recycling value chain, including scrap processors, brokers, government officials, equipment manufacturers and more. The E-Reuse Conference is North America’s longest-running sole computer and electronics refurbishment conference. The event provides an opportunity for people from around the world working in the areas of computer refurbishment and repair, assets management, electronics recycling, and digital inclusion to come together to network, build business relationships, discuss best practices, and learn new techniques for refurbishing and recycling electronics efficiently and cost effectively.

About E-Reuse Services

E-Reuse Services, Inc was established in 2017 to provide consulting and training services to electronics recyclers, refurbishers and ITADs, as well as organizations establishing IT asset disposition policy and procedure. The organization offers timely, affordable internal audits, live (in-person and web-based) training along with online courses and partners with solution-providers to better address evolving industry requirements, helping organizations achieve lock-step compliance and maximum recovery value of retiring assets.

About Resource Recycling, Inc.

Resource Recycling, Inc. is a privately held publishing and conference company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. For over four decades, the company has served to inform, connect and inspire professionals across the materials recovery sector. It publishes three trade journals: Resource Recycling, Plastics Recycling Update and E-Scrap News. It also produces three annual events: the Resource Recycling Conference, the Plastics Recycling Conference and the E-Scrap Conference.