Stakeholders from government, industry, and environmental sectors gathered in Pretoria on 25 February for a co-creation workshop to design the Circular Electronics Initiative (CEI), a new Swiss-funded project aimed at transforming South Africa’s electronics sector.
The workshop, hosted by the Embassy of Switzerland in South Africa, marked a key transition from the concluded Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) project—which ended in 2025 and established foundations in sustainable e-waste management—to the CEI phase, running from 2026 to 2029.
Funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the initiative seeks to foster a system-wide shift toward circularity across the full lifecycle of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). It builds on SRI’s achievements in recycling systems while promoting inclusive, sustainable practices to reduce e-waste impacts.
Partners include South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the World Resources Forum (WRF) managing the global program in Egypt, Ghana, and South Africa, and the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) as local implementer.
The participatory session brought public and private experts together to shape forward-looking actions, emphasizing collaborative partnerships for lasting environmental and economic benefits in the face of growing e-waste challenges.
