ERI’s David Hirschler Shares Critical Material Supply Chain Insights at NY Climate Week Roundtable
ERI’s David as global industries seek to strengthen supply chains and reduce dependence on virgin resources, the development of reliable secondary material markets is becoming increasingly important. During New York Climate Week, David Hirschler, Chief Sustainability Officer of ERI, participated in a World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) roundtable focused on building resilient systems for the recovery and reuse of secondary materials.
The session, titled “Building Materials Systems for Resilient Secondary Supply,” brought together leaders from across the materials and recycling ecosystem to examine how businesses, governments, technology providers and investors can work together to create stronger circular supply chains.
The roundtable was co-hosted with Apple as part of WBCSD’s New York Climate Week programming. Participants included companies, recyclers and processors, technology providers, investors and funders, and government representatives. Discussions focused on a critical challenge facing the circular economy: the gap between the collection of used materials and consistent demand for high-quality recycled feedstocks.
Addressing the “Missing Middle”
As demand for critical materials continues to grow, recycling and resource recovery are increasingly viewed as important components of supply-chain resilience. However, simply collecting discarded products and materials does not guarantee that those resources will successfully return to productive use.
The WBCSD roundtable examined what is needed between the collection of secondary materials and their eventual use by manufacturers and other end users. This “missing middle” includes processing capacity, infrastructure, technology, financing, policy frameworks and reliable offtake arrangements.
By bringing stakeholders from across these areas together, the session explored ways to build systems capable of moving recovered materials efficiently through the supply chain and transforming them into dependable secondary resources.
The discussions drew on findings from the WBCSD’s Critical Materials Collective, a portfolio of initiatives focused on strengthening circular supply chains for critical and high-value materials. The portfolio includes place-based projects such as the North American Aluminum Initiative, which seeks to explore practical approaches to increasing the availability and use of secondary materials.
Innovation and Urban Mining
Hirschler and other participants took part in breakout discussions examining the innovations, infrastructure and partnerships needed to scale a resilient urban mining ecosystem.
Urban mining refers to the recovery of valuable materials from products and infrastructure that have already been manufactured and placed into use. Electronics, for example, contain a range of valuable materials that can potentially be recovered through responsible collection, processing and recycling.
As electronic devices become increasingly widespread, the ability to recover materials from end-of-life equipment can play an important role in creating more circular supply chains.
For companies operating in the resource recovery sector, this requires more than advanced recycling technology. Effective urban mining systems also depend on collection networks, responsible processing, data security, investment, supportive public policy and predictable demand for recovered materials.
The WBCSD roundtable provided an opportunity for participants to consider how these different elements can be connected to create more resilient systems.
“We’re grateful to have been invited by the WBCSD to participate in this spirited discussion about the future of urban mining and responsible recycling,” said David Hirschler, Chief Sustainability Officer of ERI.
“It’s critical that we focus on the various ways we can harness innovation to continue to evolve. And each step of the way, we must never lose sight of the importance of responsible recycling, sustainability and the proper destruction of data,” Hirschler added.
Building Stronger Secondary Material Markets
One of the key themes discussed during the session was the need to establish more connected materials systems.
For secondary materials to become a dependable part of industrial supply chains, recovered feedstocks need to meet consistent quality, quantity and reliability requirements. That requires coordination across multiple stages of the value chain, from collection and sorting through processing, refining, manufacturing and final demand.
Investment can help develop the infrastructure needed to process greater volumes of recovered materials, while technology can improve sorting, processing and material recovery. Policy can establish incentives and standards that encourage circular practices, while long-term purchasing commitments can provide recyclers and processors with greater certainty.
Together, these elements can help create conditions in which recovered materials become a more predictable resource for manufacturers.
The WBCSD’s Critical Materials Collective is working to advance this type of coordinated approach through a portfolio of place-based initiatives. The projects are designed to explore practical ways to strengthen circular supply chains and improve the flow of high-quality secondary materials into the economy.
Collaboration Across the Value Chain
The diversity of organizations participating in the roundtable reflects the increasingly collaborative nature of the circular economy.
No single organization can establish a resilient secondary materials system on its own. Recyclers require access to end-of-life materials, processors need appropriate infrastructure, manufacturers need reliable secondary feedstocks, investors provide capital for scaling operations, and governments can establish policies that support circular markets.
Technology companies can contribute innovations that improve material identification, recovery and processing, while businesses can create demand by incorporating recycled materials into their products and supply chains.
Connecting these stakeholders can help address some of the structural challenges that have historically limited the growth of secondary material markets.
The WBCSD describes its Critical Materials Collective as part of a broader effort to strengthen circular supply chains for high-quality secondary materials and create more resilient materials systems.
ERI’s Role in the Circular Economy
It operates across material resource recovery, IT asset disposition (ITAD), technology reuse, recycling and data destruction. The company describes its mission as protecting people, the planet and privacy.
It has the capacity to process more than one billion pounds of electronic waste annually through eight certified locations in the United States. The company serves customers across the country and has facilities and partners supporting operations in more than 50 countries.
The company is certified by leading environmental and data-security oversight organizations for the responsible de-manufacturing, recycling and refurbishment of electronic devices. It was also the first company in its industry to achieve ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications for security and data protection.
The combination of material recovery and data security is particularly important in electronics recycling, where organizations need to ensure that information stored on retired devices is properly destroyed while maximizing the recovery and reuse of valuable materials.
Advancing a More Resilient Circular Economy
The discussions at New York Climate Week highlighted the growing connection between sustainability, resource recovery and supply-chain resilience.
As businesses seek alternatives to virgin materials and look for ways to strengthen access to critical resources, secondary materials can become an increasingly important part of the global supply system. Unlocking that potential, however, requires coordinated investment in collection, infrastructure, technology, policy and market demand.
The WBCSD roundtable provided a forum for stakeholders to explore how these elements can work together to build stronger and more resilient secondary-material systems.
For It, participation in the discussion reflects its focus on advancing responsible electronics recycling and resource recovery while maintaining strong standards for data protection.
The broader message from the event was that circularity depends on collaboration. By connecting recyclers, manufacturers, technology providers, investors, policymakers and end users, industry leaders can work toward systems that recover more resources, create reliable secondary material supplies and reduce waste.
As Hirschler emphasized, innovation will remain central to the evolution of urban mining and resource recovery. At the same time, responsible recycling, sustainability and data security must remain fundamental considerations as organizations build the next generation of circular supply chains.
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