i2CAT participated in the the European Green Week with an initiative to manage the electrical and electronic devices waste

21/10/2020

Representatives from the Department of Digital Policies of the Government of Catalonia, the Catalan Waste Agency, and i2CAT presented an initiative to manage the electrical and electronic devices waste

Original source: Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the European Union

The project ‘Traceability and circularity of electrical and electronic devices and their waste’ was presented yesterday on an online session framed in the European Green Week. The event was moderated by Jean-Benoit Bel from the European network ACR+ and counted with the participation of Daniel Marco, Director General of Digital Economy in the Government of Catalonia; Maria Vidal, Head of Promotion of Valorisation in the Catalan Waste Agency; and Daniel López, Director of Digital Innovation Management Office at the i2CAT Foundation.

This initiative aims to develop a project that shows the feasibility of implementing a system able to trace and locate the electrical and electronic devices sold in Catalonia from the moment they are manufactured. This traceability system would include accurate information on the components defined as strategic and contained by certain devices.

Daniel López explained the main challenges of this project, which is expected to be implemented at the beginning of 2021. He argued that the involvement of manufacturers and citizens is key to the success of the initiative and gamification will be used to try to make it possible. A physical or logical system will be used to trace devices and components from the beginning. To increase the safety and the second useful life or recycling, artificial intelligence and component detection solutions will be adopted.

 

 

This project is co-funded by the ERDF and the Government of Catalonia funds and is part of the program of research and innovation in Advanced Digital Technologies. The program aims to promote and to coordinate the different agents of research and innovation in the area of ICT to make Catalonia become a European and global hub in digital technologies by transforming its economy and society