Worldwide, the issue of climate protection and sustainability is becoming increasingly important. The fight against climate change demands global cooperation and the exchange of ideas. With the focus on sustainable development, the programme supports committed and solution-oriented change-makers, such as climate activists, people who are active in sustainable start-ups and high-impact businesses, scientists who deal with environmental protection, or people who work in nature conservation projects. Scholarship holders bring local expertise from the areas in which they are active to implement suitable measures for the reality on the ground. This page contains experience reports and insights into sustainable solutions from the CCP community.
In 2024, there was an additional focus on circular economy with the question of how both society and the economy can create sustainable systems.
E-waste contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury or cadmium. It can cause significant damage to people and the environment if it is not handled properly. Worldwide, we produce around 56.6 million tons of e-waste per year, but only 17.4% of this waste is recycled. Mining minerals which are necessary for building new electronic devices cause severe pollution of rivers near mining sites. The rivers in Colombia are very important for the economic development of communities. They rely on this natural resource which we are poisoning.
We can’t just tell people to stop getting new phones or laptops – they are an indispensable element of our everyday lives. But at least we can spread awareness on the harms of e‑waste and the importance of recycling it properly so that people treat their devices more consciously. Both society and the economy must contribute towards solving the problem of mounting e-waste. It is also crucial to get companies involved so that they use recycled minerals instead of mining new ones. This process is called “Urban Mining”: we collaborate with big companies and informal garbage collectors to collect large amounts of e-waste. Then we shred everything into pieces so that the minerals can be extracted and reused for new devices.
We visit schools to educate children. It becomes much easier when children learn sustainable behaviour at an early age. We also support informal garbage collectors in Colombia. They have a very vulnerable position in society, yet they are doing such an important job. Wast-E pays them fair wages and offers educational classes for them and their children.
I learn from both operational and strategic aspects of the organisation by assisting in waste management projects, such as developing a work plan for an e-waste facility in Lebanon. My responsibilities include research, client engagement and assistance in handling project tools. Overall, my experience has been enriching and professionally rewarding, providing a solid collaboration for my career growth.
