2014 October 15

The Electronics Watch initiative presented at EcoProcura 2014

The edition of EcoProcura 2014 took place in Ghent, Belgium on 24-26 September organised by ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) and the City of Ghent. Procurers from different levels, policy-makers, suppliers and representatives from several organisations and initiatives gathered in Ghent to discuss and promote a number of topics related to sustainable public procurement. The event had over 350 participants, including representatives from Electronics Watch.

Electronics Watch (EW) presented in both the Market Lounge and Meet your Buyer sessions. See the programme here. Over 30 participants sat on one of EW’s round tables to get to know and discuss about this new initiative on socially responsible public procurement of ICT products. A promising number of European public buyers showed a strong commitment to labour rights and a welcomed interest in joining Electronics Watch.

In plenary sessions, the conference addressed questions such as what the new European Public Procurement Directives mean for sustainable procurement in practice, and how can procurement be at the heart of strategic decision-making. Several Cities presented inspiring best practice programmes on sustainable procurement on a local level, like the hosting Ghent, together with Barcelona, Oslo, and Zurich.

In the slipstream of the EcoProcura conference Electronics Watch was also present at an evening meeting organised by the city of Ghent: ‘How fair is smart’. Electronics Watch presented for an audience of some 70 conscious students and citizens, alongside with Fairphone and BongHive. See also the programme here.