A Life EPICS Update from Istanbul

This June, we gathered in the beautiful city of Istanbul for the Euronics’ Annual General Meeting. It was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with all of our partners and dive deeper into the Life EPICS campaign. We're really excited to share some of the latest progress and how we're working to build a more sustainable future for consumer electronics. 

Learning and Growing Together 

One of the big recent milestones for Life EPICS is the introduction of our new online and in-person training program. We're rolling out the first online module soon, with help from Work-shop and powered by the Halight platform. Our partners have already started implementing the programs across all participating countries and are working on the second online module. The first training module focuses on the various aspects of sustainability, covering everything from its broader context to EU regulations as well as our specific campaign goals.  

The training program was well-received in Istanbul. The attendees followed two live training workshops using the first online module. Everyone got to participate in real-time and show off what they learned. The feedback from our members, suppliers, and industry partners was incredibly positive, really highlighting how valuable and impactful these learning efforts are. It was particularly rewarding to hear from partner organizations like Recommerce Group, who congratulated us on the work we're doing to give older products a fresh start. 

Repair, Relife, Reuse 

Another exciting development is the ongoing launch of our branded repair corners. Each Euronics partner has picked two initial locations and is currently setting up these spots to start repairing products. Because by giving consumer electronics a longer life, we can help extend the useful life of participating products and reduce avoidable electronic waste.

Sustainability at a Glance 

The LIFE EPICS campaign towards a more sustainable future also involves bigger picture initiatives. We're continuing to work closely with Applia and various industry partners to put together a product sustainability information methodology. The project is developing a methodology to help consumers understand and compare specific product characteristics, such as repairability, recyclability and energy efficiency.

We're aiming to have a solid methodology in place in the next few months, pending broader discussions with our colleagues at the European Commission. At any rate, we’re moving steadily forward as we explore more consistent and transparent ways of assessing and communicating selected product characteristics within consumer electronics. 

The progress made in this first half year of the LIFE EPICS campaign is an encouraging sign for the coming years, promising continued progress in training, repair and product-information activities.