Through an exchange of letters, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Lenovo formalized a strategic collaboration to accelerate global initiatives supporting the circular economy by jointly developing programs to promote sustainable industrialization and responsible electronics management.
UNIDO and Lenovo will explore opportunities to combine strategic approaches and technical expertise while expanding access to partners that deliver sustainable technology solutions. The collaboration will also include capacity-building efforts, awareness campaigns, and skills development programs to support circularity across global supply chains.
UNIDO champions the circular economy as a transformative alternative to the traditional ‘business-as-usual’ model by supporting the integration of circular principles – such as circular design, sustainable production, reuse, recycling, and material recovery – across industrial value chains.
“We look forward to working together on technical cooperation and capacity-building operations across the world”, said Ciyong Zou, Deputy to the Director General and Managing Director of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development of UNIDO. “As the UN’s specialized agency for industrial development, engagement with the private sector is key; Lenovo’s commitment to sustainable industrialization fully aligns with UNIDO’s vision for circular global supply chains in the electronics sector and beyond”.
Lenovo is accelerating environmental progress through its participation in the circular economy, including the continued use of closed-loop recycled materials in its products. The company also empowers customers with sustainability services that facilitate repair, recycling, and reuse, helping extend product lifecycles and keeping materials in circulation.
One of the key projects Lenovo and UNIDO will focus on is the Global Electronics Management (GEM) programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Led by UNIDO in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), GEM seeks to create an environment for responsible electronics management in 16 countries, including by supporting access to finance and technology, stimulating policy and legislative changes, and contributing to reduced e-waste generation and increased circularity and resource recovery.
“We are proud to support the GEM programme and work alongside UNIDO to help 16 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” said Mary Jacques, Executive Director of Global ESG and Regulatory Compliance at Lenovo. “By sharing knowledge and connecting partners across the technology ecosystem, we aim to reduce e-waste, extend the life of electronics, and improve materials recovery from end-of-life products. Partnering with UNIDO enables us to scale our circular economy efforts globally, reaching communities and markets we couldn’t effectively access alone.”
As part of the agreement, Lenovo and UNIDO will also convene various global advisory group meetings and other events to further increase awareness of the importance of technology to advance sustainable industrialization. This new phase of cooperation reflects a shared commitment of UNIDO and Lenovo to building an inclusive, climate-resilient, and more sustainable future.
Source: Lenovo
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