Circular Circuits Consortium meets in Utrecht to Advance Circular Electronics
On 6 March 2026, as the first signs of spring began to appear across the Netherlands, the Circular Circuits consortium gathered in Utrecht for its annual meeting. Researchers, industry partners, and societal stakeholders met at Vergadercentrum Vredenburg to review progress, exchange ideas, and discuss the next steps toward implementing circular electronics solutions.
The meeting opened with welcoming remarks from project leader Prof. Arnold Tukker, together with programme coordinator Yulia Fischer (M2i) and NWO representative Anna Graaf-van Dinther, who highlighted the growing urgency of developing circular solutions for the electronics sector and the importance of collaboration across the value chain.
Throughout the morning sessions, the consortium shared a broad overview of the programme’s progress. The presentations illustrated how the project addresses circularity in electronics from multiple perspectives, including materials use, product lifetime extension, circular design, advanced recycling technologies, and new circular business models. Together, these research directions aim to transform how electronics are designed, used, and recovered, helping to reduce electronic waste and retain valuable materials within the economy.
A particularly inspiring aspect of the meeting was the strong contribution of Master students from Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University. The students’ presentations demonstrated the important role that emerging researchers play in advancing the circular economy and highlighted how the programme contributes to educating the next generation of circular innovation leaders.
In the afternoon, the programme shifted toward interaction with users and implementation perspectives. A presentation by Edsger Smit (CITC/TNO) on innovations in separation technologies illustrated how research developments can translate into practical solutions for the recycling of electronic materials. This was followed by an interactive workshop in which consortium partners discussed the implementation potential of the project’s results, exploring how scientific insights can be integrated into industrial practice and circular value chains.
The annual meeting once again highlighted the strength of the Circular Circuits consortium: a diverse community of researchers, companies, and young talents working together to build the knowledge and solutions needed for a truly circular electronics future.
