As part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD’s) New York Climate Week events last week, David Hirschler, Chief Sustainability Officer of ERI, the leading material resource recovery, ITAD, mobility and data destruction/processing provider and largest recycler of electronics in the US, was featured as part of a roundtable meeting addressing “Building Materials Systems for Resilient Secondary Supply.”

Co-hosted with Apple, the session convened companies, recyclers and processors, technology providers, investors and funders, and government representatives to examine the “missing middle” between collection and end demand. Scene-setting and findings from the WBCSD’s Critical Materials Collective portfolio—including the North American Aluminum Initiative—included cross-functional roundtables exploring how policy, technology, capital, infrastructure, and offtake can work together to build durable secondary-material systems.

In break-out roundtable discussions, Hirschler and other participants discussed innovations, infrastructure, partnerships, and policy support needed to scale a resilient urban mining ecosystem globally.

“We’re grateful to have been invited by the WBCSD to participate in this spirited discussion about the future of urban mining and responsible recycling,” said Hirschler. “It’s critical that we focus on the various ways we can harness innovation to continue to evolve. And each step of the way, we must never lose sight of the importance of responsible recycling, sustainability and the proper destruction of data.”

WBCSD’s Critical Materials Collective is advancing a portfolio of place-based initiatives to strengthen circular supply chains for high-quality secondary materials. These initiatives point to the need for more connected materials systems capable of converting secondary feedstocks into reliable, high-quality products.

WBCSD is a global network of 250+ leading companies driving sustainability as a key driver of competitiveness. With offices in Geneva, New York, Chicago, Amsterdam, London, Singapore, and Wuhan, WBCSD enables collaboration across value chains and geographies.

ERI is the leading international material resource recovery, ITAD and tech reuse and recycling company. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. It is the first company in its industry to achieve ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications for security and data protection. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified U.S. locations, serving every zip code in the United States, with facilities and partners serving over 50 countries. ERI’s mission is to protect people, the planet and privacy. For more information about circularity, ITAD services and e-waste recycling at ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit https://eridirect.com.

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"It’s critical that we focus on the various ways we can harness innovation to continue to evolve. "