9^th of December, 2019 – Ghent

The production of ICT devices such as smartphones, computers and laptops has a huge impact on environment, climate change and working conditions in Europe and in the Global South. Electronics have long and complex supply chains, involving multiple risks from raw materials extraction, manufacture, transport, use and e-waste.
Despite the complexity, a conscious procurement and use policy can be an important lever for a fairer ICT chain and a more circular lifecycle of ICT hardware. In this conference we will consider the possibilities for procurers, IT professionals to take tangible steps to develop sustainable ICT procurement and reuse policies in Flanders. European pioneers will present their good examples. This is the moment to get inspired!

The congress is an initiative of the project Fair ICT Flanders.  This project aims at improving the sustainability of ICT procurement and reuse policies in Flanders.

PROGRAMME

09:00 – 09:30: Coffee & Registration
09:30 – 09:45: Welcome by Mrs. Sofie Bracke (Deputy Mayor of Economy, Trade, Sports and the Port – City of Ghent) and  Mr. Jeroen Vanden Berghe, Chief Logistics Administrator University of Ghent)
09:45 – 10:00: Introduction on Fair & Circular ICT – Fair ICT Flanders
10:00 – 11:00: Keynote Presentations:  Fair & circular ICT procurement & the role of monitoring systems and certification mechanisms of the ICT supply chain. 

1. Kim Thi Thu Ha – Managing Director, Center For Development And Integration (CDI) Vietnam
2. Peter Pawlicki – Director of Outreach and Education, Electronics Watch
3. Sören Enholm – CEO, TCO Development
4. Chingchih Chang – Supply chain assessment manager, Fairphone

11:00 – 12:00:  Panel Discussion (based on questions of audience – Moderator: Boris Verbrugge): The relevance of certification mechanisms and monitoring of the ICT supply chain.  Possibilities and limitations.
12:00 – 13:15:  Lunch
13:15 – 14:30: Keynote Presentations on pilots and good examples of circular and fair procurement in the EU

• John Watt – Officer, Sustainable Economy and Procurement, ICLEI:  ICT procurement pilots: good examples in the EU.
• Thomas van den Hoff – Project Manager, the Municipality of Haarlem: Fair & Circular ICT for the Municipality of Haarlem
• Kristian Hemström – Deputy Director of Sustainability, Region Stockholm:  Social sustainable supply chains
• Charlotte Dewilde – Project Manager Circular Economy, Bond Beter Leefmilieu: Good example of a circular tender
• Stijn Verheyden & Koen Warnez, SERIS: ICT usage policy within SERIS

14:30 – 14:45: Break

14:45 – 16:00: Parallel Discussion tables on fair ICT and possibilities for a circular  lifecycle of ICT (facilitated by keynote speakers & experts)

1. Fair ICT: Sustainability aspects in IT procurement  – facilitator: Peter Pawlicki (Director of Outreach and Education – Electronics Watch) Mainly aimed at public actors

• Sustainable public procurement is a powerful tool in the hands of public buyers to improve the social and environmental situation in the electronics supply chains of the products they procure. Making ICT procurement sustainable is a long-term process that involves many partners in the organisation. We will discuss instruments, potentials, challenges & strategies of sustainable ICT procurement and exchange experiences.

2. Tracking the supply chain of ICT: what about the metals & mining? – facilitators: Alberto Vazquez (Project Coordinator, CATAPA & Researcher for ‘Make ICT Fair’ project) & Charlotte Christiaens (Coordinator CATAPA & Project Officer, Make ICT Fair project)

• In this table we will discuss the challenges regarding tracking minerals in the ICT- supply chain and the possible solutions/systems. CATAPA will present some of its important findings from field research on the minerals within our electronic devices. What are the possibilities of a purchasing organisation to address the issues?”

3. Circular ICT: circular procurement strategies – facilitators: Melody Van den Acker (Project Manager Circular Procurement – Circular Flanders) & Charlotte Dewilde (Project Manager Circular Economy – Bond Beter Leefmilieu)

• How to start with circular procurement? This discussion table builds further on the circular tender of the Province of Antwerp with focus on the participatory process, its pitfalls and the opportunities in the award criteria. Overall, we want to exchange experiences and knowledge on support base, general strategy for circular procurement and sources of inspiration for circular tenders.

4. Legal issues and opportunities to purchase ICT in a Fair & circular way – facilitator: Alexander Lemmens (Legal expert  – Agency for Facility Management – Government of Flanders) Mainly aimed at public actors.

• We are looking at how sustainability considerations can be incorporated into the various steps of a public procurement process for ICT hardware. The legal questions and possibilities to work on fair and circular ICT are discussed, taking into account the public procurement legislation.

5. ‘Beyond Procurement’ – facilitator: Boris Verbrugge (Senior Research associate –   HIVA (KU Leuven))

• When we consider the role of procurers in ‘making ICT fair’, the focus typically lies on how social and environmental criteria can be effectively integrated into procurement processes. This often leads to technical solutions like audits and sustainability certification, which are not without problems. This roundtable considers whether and how procurers can engage ICT-suppliers on the topic of sustainability outside the scope of procurement processes.

6. Extending product lifetimes through procurement – facilitator:  Jean-Pierre Schweitzer (Policy Officer on Circular Economy & Product Policy –  European Environmental Bureau (EEB))

• Due to the high share of impacts in the production phase, making ICT last longer should prioritize by procurers. This session asks how procurement can support product life extension. Key issues include: criteria and services to support maintenance, upgrade and repair as well as the purchase of refurbished/used ICT.

16:00- 16:30: Concluding remarks
16:30 – 17:00: Closing Reception

Registration: Mail to kim.claes@catapa.be

Supported by: Vlaamse Overheid, Stad Gent, European Union, Make ICT Fair