2019 About

The 3rd international PLATE conference (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) addresses product lifetimes in the context of sustainability. While discussions on product lifetimes have been going on for a number of years, the topic has come to the forefront of current (political, scientific & societal) debates due to its interconnectedness with a number of recent prominent movements , such as the  circular economy, ecodesign and collaborative consumption. The conference encompasses these topics – whether they relate directly or indirectly to issues of product lifetimes and the environment – and is open to all product types, consumption, and production sectors and applications.

PLATE 2019 organised by Fraunhofer IZM in cooperation with Technische Universität Berlin

Both Fraunhofer IZM and TU Berlin – independently and in collaboration – have a strong track record of interdisciplinary research on electronics, sustainability and circular economy. Based on these experiences, we welcome the chance to bring an evolving new community together for this 3rd PLATE conference.

The Plate 2019 Conference will be held at the Dahlem Cube Seminaris Hotel, close to the heart of the city. The conference center in the shape of a glass cube is a masterpiece of modern architecture by Helmut Jahn, Chicago. It is situated in the southwest of Berlin, in the district of Dahlem.

Previous conferences (2015 – 2017)

Both an increase in product lifetimes and a move towards a circular economy are increasingly recognised as essential elements in resource efficiency, waste reduction and low carbon strategies for sustainability. For this reason, the 1st PLATE conference in 2015 at Nottingham Trent University, UK brought together over 100 academic researchers, policy makers and industry representatives. They shared an interest in tackling the detrimental effect of our consumption, with a focus on product longevity. The conference provided a great opportunity to review the current state of research in this emerging field of knowledge. Participants were invited to share their experiences and debate the implications of product longevity for environmental, economic and social sustainability.

The 2nd Conference on Product Lifetimes and the Environment (PLATE) took place in Delft, Netherlands, 8-10 November, 2017. It brought together more than 150 researchers, designers, practitioners, and educators from a broad range of traditions and communities from all around the world.