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What is education’s role in the circular economy and the energy transition?

The circular economy and the energy transition bring a lot of questions and the need for big changes with them. The first step to tackling any issue, challenge, or change is always understanding it. It is after all very difficult to address a matter or to solve a problem, if you do not know what you are dealing with.

While raw materials, electronics circularity, e-waste, and renewable energy technologies are complex topics, that does not mean that understanding them should be reserved to a select few. From a societal or democratic perspective, it can be highly problematic if only a small group of people understand, and get to make decisions on, issues that have a larger societal relevance.

A smaller group retaining knowledge for themselves and then making decisions for others may, for example, not understand the realities of different stakeholders or they may not always have the best interests of the collective at heart. Beyond poorer decision-making, the exclusion of groups can also lead to political or social backlash.

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Our mission at The E-Waste Column is to democratize knowledge on raw materials, electronics circularity, e-waste, and renewable energy technologies. We believe that this plays a key role in building a just and sustainable future for all.

What educational resources are currently missing?

​The problem when it comes to raw materials, electronics circularity, e-waste, and renewable energy technologies is that a lot of the information available is highly technical and unfriendly to newcomers or laypersons. Alternatively sometimes, the information is overly simplified to the extent that it loses the necessary nuance and does not allow users to really comprehend what is going on. The information on these topics is often also very scattered and rarely available in one central location. A lot of industry relevant information is also not written down or not publicly available.

Beyond this, there are few sources that really connect the dots, take a truly interdisciplinary approach (by, for example, combining STEM and non-STEM perspectives), and contextualize the information within the bigger picture (be that for the whole lifecycle or supply chain of an electronic device or for the broader societal impact). While there is an abundance of information on the technical and quantitative aspects of raw materials, electronics circularity, e-waste, and renewable energy technologies, the social and qualitative aspects of these topics are not covered to the same degree. Information on key societal questions – such as human rights, labour rights, and gender equity in supply chains or consumer behavior and involvement – remains fairly scarce by comparison.

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At The E-Waste Column, we work tirelessly to close these knowledge gaps and make reliable information easily accessible and understandable to all.

Why do we need to invest in education for the transition now?

Different market actors need to work together if we want to transition over to a circular economy and renewable energy technologies. It is not only possible to build a more sustainable future, but also to increase energy sovereignty and security, in this way.

To make this happen, we need to invest and put the necessary infrastructure in place. While there are a lot of changes that need to take place, creating education that allows different actors – from consumers to businesses and policymakers – to understand the problem and what is at stake, and to then participate as well-informed actors in creating solutions, is a vital step to take now. The problem is that the educational foundation that underlines and supports all other actions for the circular economy and the energy transition is still far too often overlooked and disregarded.

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Since 2022, the social enterprise Palsa & Pulk has funded The E-Waste Column and invested in the education needed to make the circular economy and the energy transition possible. We now welcome you to join the effort by supporting or funding our project — and other educational initiatives like ours.