Okay. My name is Jos and I’m working on the research in circular economy and automotive sector. And I would like to know your point of view. If you accept, I’m going to record our conversation, transcribe it and put the transcription with a pseudonym, not your real name, in a repository of text documents that will be used for the research. If we do this and you change your mind and no longer want to participate, get in touch with us and we will immediately remove your interview from the repository. I’m leaving you later. An information sheet with contact information. If you agree, please tell me your name and that you agree.
I agree it’s Chris O’Connor with Chris.
Chris, Chris. Okay, Chris, thank you very much. So the first question, can you tell me a bit about your educational and professional background and interests?
So I’ve been in the printing industry mostly on digital printing side. So newer technologies versus the traditional print for about 25 plus years. So most of it is worldwide experience, a lot of it in Asia but also in Europe and the US.
What is the area of your expertise?
So I’m in business development. So various aspects of whether it be sales or partnerships with others in the industry.
The theme of this conference is The future of Electronics Reshaped. Thus the idea of reshaping electronics for the future mean to you.
Yeah, it means that we’re taking a lot of old concepts for for how electronics are developed, but manufacturing them in a different way that hopefully is more sustainable, but also maybe more economical, more flexible, etcetera.
Yeah, sustainability is the point. What do you think is the relationship between electronics and sustainability?
Well, I mean, clearly there’s there’s a lot of electronics that are very short life life cycle. Right. So they’re used and the technology is surpassed maybe a year or two later. So therefore it ends up needing to be disposed of. So however that can be, you know, consciously developed with that in mind when it starts or it can be somehow recycled to do it.
Uh, can you define a circular economy in your own words? What is circular economy?
Circular economy. I guess it’s it’s maybe back to that point about the recycling that that things are going to continue to evolve and the life cycle is not permanent. Therefore, you know, it’s going to come back. You have to have something to, to renew, basically to, to maintain that capability.
Yeah. The definition, the definition is an economy based on sharing, reusing, repairing and recycling materials and existing products as long as possible. Do you participate in a circular economy in any aspects of your life?
Uh, I mean, well, certainly personally on a personal level, of course, but, you know, from from our business standpoint, yes. Although we are a subcomponent supplier, so we don’t necessarily own, you know, that whole life cycle as it relates to the end users and such. So we we rely on our partners to come back to us with kind of next steps and where we take it.
Do you think electronics can play a role in making the car industry more sustainable?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it’s the cars of course, become more more an electronic device than than it becomes even more important that all of that gets factored into, you know, it’s it’s production manufacturing service and and use. Yes.
And about circular economy. Do you think electronics can play a role in making the car industry more circular, focused on reuse and eliminating waste? I’m sorry. Say, do you think electronics can play a role in making the car industry more circular, focused on reuse and eliminating waste?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it’s it’s going to take. A very big effort from the whole industry, from all the different manufacturers to collaborate in a lot of ways, because if everybody’s going their own direction, then that’s going to be a bigger, bigger and bigger challenge.
And do you think that automotive industry can promote a circular economy or do they do it already?
Yeah, I’m not sure. There’s a lot of promotion at the current time, but but certainly they can. I mean, there are other industries that have proven that, you know, making consumers aware and promoting those things actually does make a difference. There’s no reason why automotive can’t do the same thing.