Cradle to Cradle Electronics initiative:

Keeping electronics in the loop.

Under the umbrella of the Cradle to Cradle Electronics Initiative, business, academia and civil society are putting Cradle to Cradle electronics into practice: circular, resource-positive and future-fit.

Electronic devices that allow the recovery of their raw materials. Business models that reliably return devices and materials to the cycle after use. What a few pioneering companies are already proving today now has a shared stage: the Cradle to Cradle Electronics Initiative.

The initiative sees itself as a "Community for Change," driving the electronics industry's transformation into a circular one. Together, we're building a hands-on platform for business, academia and civil society – one that pools knowledge, gives pilot projects visibility, develops transferable solutions, and moves circular electronics from niche to market.

The results of the projects under the initiative's umbrella are made openly accessible. In this way, we help advance Cradle to Cradle and the circular economy in Germany, and create momentum that other sectors can take up.

Current projects

Practice, not theory

Publication:
C2C in electronics industry

The Boston Consulting Group study examines the potential of the Cradle to Cradle approach for the electronics industry from a business case perspective.

About the Projects

Open and free software
meets C2C design

Integration of Open-Source Software into the C2C Concept for a Systemic Circular Economy in Hardware

About the Projects

Thinking Globally About Cradle to Cradle in the Consumer Electronics Sector

Experts from the Global South are collaborating with German partners to develop educational programs on resource justice and global supply chains.

About the Projects

Plastics:
Circular charging and data cables

Shift develops USB-C charging and data cables based on the Cradle to Cradle principles.

About the Projects

Master's course
“Transforming our Economy“

Students at TU Berlin are developing case studies on C2C in electronics, ready for the initiative to use directly.

About the Projects

Master's thesis

How do electronics companies implement the Cradle to Cradle approach in practice? A research paper explores this question.

About the Projects

VOICES FROM THE PROJECT

For me, joining the C2C Electronics Initiative is about unlocking real system change. Electronics is one of the most complex and fast-growing waste streams—but also one of the sectors with the greatest potential to lead circular innovation. What motivated me is the need to move beyond isolated efforts. No single company can solve this alone—the supply chain is too complex. C2CEI creates the alignment needed to design for safe materials, circular use, and real recovery at scale.

At koorvi, we focus on products during their usage phase—take-back, refurbishment, and resale instead of disposal. This is precisely where the electronics industry faces a particular challenge, and it’s where we’re active every day. C2CEI brings together the forces needed to move from talk to action. No single company can close the loop on its own.

Open dialogue with other companies and industries is a fundamental prerequisite for launching circular approaches and business models within our company. Initiatives such as C2CEI are therefore a key component for us.