CEI is designed to create local commitment and ownership, and to establish sustainable processes that ensure lasting impact over the long term — building on the foundations laid by the SRI programme.
The overall objective of CEI is to build the framework conditions required for circular and inclusive management of e-waste and related waste streams — advancing the work begun under SRI toward a broader circular electronics approach.
With lasting impact at its core, CEI is designed to create local commitment and ownership, and to establish sustainable processes that endure beyond the programme’s activities.
Colombia introduced its first e-waste regulations in 2010, based on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle. Over more than a decade, SRI supported the development of a formal recycling sector and strengthened regulatory frameworks. The SRI programme in Colombia has now concluded.
Egypt is Africa’s third most populated country, resulting in substantial e-waste generation. Formal recycling infrastructure remains limited and most e-waste is processed informally. SRI worked in Egypt from 2013 to 2025 — the work continues under CEI, running from 2025 to 2029.
When SRI began in Ghana, the country faced severe challenges in managing e-waste, particularly in Agbogbloshie, the largest e-waste recycling cluster in West Africa. SRI helped build the foundations of a national management system over more than a decade. The work continues under CEI, running from 2025 to 2029.
By 2008, Peru faced rapid technological consumption growth and rising e-waste without a regulatory framework, with only 0.9% of the estimated 90,000 tons generated formally processed. SRI supported Peru in building a formal e-waste management system over more than a decade. The SRI programme in Peru has now concluded.
South Africa lacked a national e-waste policy when SRI began its work in 2020, with high licensing costs, fragmented industry representation, and most e-waste remaining unmanaged. SRI helped transform this landscape in just a few years — the work continues under CEI, running from 2025 to 2029.
SRI has played a key role in advancing international standards for secondary materials management, particularly through its contributions to the development of ISO 59014. In Phase I, SRI convened an International Workshop Agreement (IWA 19:2017) to establish Guidance Principles for the sustainable management of secondary metals, ensuring inclusivity of small enterprises and the informal sector in developing countries.
Building on this foundation, SRI has actively supported the transition of these principles into an official ISO standard during Phase II. By co-convening the relevant ISO Technical Committees, SRI has facilitated international collaboration, helping shape ISO 59014 to set principles, sustainability criteria, and traceability requirements for secondary materials, promoting environmental justice, social equity, and responsible resource recovery worldwide.