Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1537616
24 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2025 ics and sustainability. It was launched in March. We also link to what SERI is doing, the upcom- ing eSummit, and to other organizations working on sustainability for electron- ics. We want to collabo- rate with all of them to provide meaningful resources for the industry. Tell me about the report you published when you launched Evolve. Scanlon: The "Wired for Change" report captures the industry's sentiment about sustainability. It highlights survey results indicating that sustainability for electronics is a top priority and that there is momentum toward achieving sus- tainability goals. In addition to the recent sentiment report, we've learned from different groups in the electronics supply chain that there are several big, overarch- ing pain points that prevent them from being more ambitious on sustainability—things like supply chain resilience roadblocks, natural resource and waste management hurdles, reporting and disclosure obli- gations, and workforce development challenges. We are here to help the whole industry with these pain points and high hurdles that prevent our indus- try from being more ambitious on sustainability. Can you cite an example of feedback you received and how you addressed it? Scanlon: In one example, we heard from industry that they need more support identifying safer chem- ical alternatives. Our industry makes electronics, not chemicals. Consequently, we worked with experts at Clean Electronics Production Network to develop a guide and host a webinar on the resources that may help a company shift to safer alternatives for certain areas of electronics manufacturing. We're trying to identify the industry's biggest challenges and provide them with resources and information to overcome those challenges. Does Evolve have a mission or purpose statement? Scanlon: Yes, the key message is, "Evolve powers industry-wide sustainability." The evolution of sus- tainability for electronics is what Evolve fuels, lead- ing the way for transformation through collabora- tion and practical guidance. When sustainability sits at the core of design and manufacturing, elec- tronics are built better. Corey Dehmey: It's the difference between being linear and reacting to a problem after we've already generated it and being proactive and planning for sustainability throughout that product's lifecycle. Corey, tell me more about SERI and its role in sustainability for electronics. Dehmey: SERI, as an organization, focuses on one topic: electronics sustainability. We are a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit, so we don't have any mem- bers. Our mission is to champion and drive the sustainable use, reuse, and recycling of electron- ics globally. We focus on electronics from their first use all the way to their end-of-life in the reverse supply chain. We started 20 years ago, when the U.S. Envi- ronmental Protection Agency decided to bring together stakeholders—manufacturers, regulators, professionals, NGOs, and recyclers in the indus- try—to determine best practices for electronics recycling. After a three-year process, they pub- lished Responsible Recycling Practices, known as the R2 guideline. In the early 2000s, the focus was very much on e-waste and its management and on shifting from landfill or dumping to recycling. The first R2 standard was very focused on recy- cling. It was developed to measure and recognize those recyclers implementing best practices, envi- ronmentally sound management, worker health and safety, and the health of their communities. SERI was started as an organization to house this standard and the certification program. Through the process of creating and releasing the next ver- sion of R2 in 2013, the concept of circularity was added to the standard. It wasn't just about recy- cling or managing waste and keeping it out of landfills. Now it was also about how we implement more reuse and ensure that data is sanitized in that process. Kelly Scanlon