The preamble of the Basel Convention states that “enhanced control of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and other wastes will act as an incentive for their environmentally sound management and for the reduction of the volume of such transboundary movements.” Furthermore, the limited capabilities of developing countries to manage hazardous wastes and other wastes are taken into account. While establishing systems for environmentally sound management (ESM), the shipment of e-waste from non-OECD countries to countries with appropriate treatment facilities is crucial for achieving ESM of e-waste. ESM is also essential for a global circular economy, and trade with secondary raw materials can be an enabler.

This Basel Convention COP side event was organised by the PREVENT Waste Alliance and GIZ and co-organised by our partner organisations StEP – Solving the E-waste Problem Initiative, World Economic Forum and Circular Electronics Partnership.