Simon Van Walle
Assistant Manager of the Market Intelligence and Business Research (MIBR)
Department for the Precious Metals Refining branch of Umicore
Simon Van Walle works as Assistant Manager of the Market Intelligence and Business Research (MIBR) department for the Precious Metals Refining branch of Umicore, the leading global materials technology and recycling group. The main focus of MIBR is to analyze new developments in technology, governmental affairs and consumption habits on a horizon of 5-10 years in order to identify the strategic importance of recycling activities in an economy that is shifting from a linear to an increasingly circular model. The electronics field is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Talk
A growing middle class, urbanization and industrialization cause an increase in global consumption of electronic goods, which end up on an enormous pile of E-waste to be treated. Umicore is specialized in retrieving precious and non-ferrous metals from complex waste streams thanks to a flowsheet that combines different collector metals, and by doing so reduces the negative impact associated with mining activities. This presentation gives a deeper insight into the impact of recycling of E-waste, its challenges and a way forward.