The Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council sit together on a Socially Responsible Public Procurement working group - under the leadership of SETEM - whose goal is to ensure the respect for the rights of the workers who manufacture the products they buy. Additionally, they are both members of the Advisory Group of Electronics Watch, and as such are at the forefront of combating human rights abuses in the electronics industry, helping to shape the world's first independent monitoring organisation working to achieve respect for labour rights in the global electronics industry through socially responsible public purchasing in Europe.

This edition welcomed 80,000 visitors from 200 countries, and over 3,000 press and analysts, who have had the opportunity to participate in conferences and trainings on topics as varied as mobile health, connected living, and developing markets, as well as the exhibition itself.

Given the clear interest and motivation of the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council in the area of socially responsible procurement, their deep involvement in hosting this congress, and the wide scope there is for their involvement, Electronics Watch would be delighted to see, in future editions, more visibility given to these efforts, with dedicated spaces for discussion around the huge impact of the electronics industry on people and the environment, and with it the presentation of alternative products and initiatives that aim to combat this.