With education and knowledge-sharing at the core of the response to the immediate eco-design and e-waste global challenge, the long-term objective of the proposed UNESCO Chair is integrating sustainability principles in the whole electronic supply chain. Adopting a circular economy model involving better (green) product design and more sustainable recycling pathways for e-waste is the first stepping-stone. In turn, this will integrate biodegradability for the end-of-life of eco-designed organic electronic devices.

The short-term objectives are:

• Raising awareness about the environmental footprint of electronics and e-waste illegal transboundary trafficking
• Developing safe and sustainable means of recycling electronics, and practices and policies thereof, to provide safer conditions to the most vulnerable populations to recover the precious metals
• Enabling informal recyclers to transition to formal business operators, facilitating their business opportunities, and building partnerships with “buyer” nations in the developing economies
• Designing and developing electronic devices using benign, abundant, bio-sourced organic materials