4th PLATE Conference
University of Limerick 2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth PLATE (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) conference was hosted by the University of Limerick from 26-28 May 2021 as a fully virtual event. Over the 3-day event, a total of 138 papers, 4 keynote speeches, 4 workshops and 1 panel discussion, drawn from a multi-disciplinary and international perspective, were presented and discussed the latest research in the field of product lifetimes and the environment. In total 191 delegates from 26 countries attended and registrants can continue to view recordings of the presentations through their login to the PLATE 2021 Events Air Platform.

The conference also included a student best paper competition produced the following results

• Winner: Tamar Meshulam, Tel Aviv University, “Sharing Economy Rebound – The Case of Peer-2-Peer Sharing of Food Waste.”
• Second Place: Ana Neto, Universidade de Lisboa, “Through thick and thin: Committing to a long-lasting wearer-clothing relationship.”
• Third Place: Réka Ines Tolg, Lund University, “Caring for extending – Consumer configuration in fashion retail settings.”
• Fourth Place: Karl Samenjo, Delft University of Technology, “Opportunities for 3D-printable spare parts: estimations from historical data.”

The proceedings have been published as open access on the University of Limerick Institutional Repository and are available here: PLATE2021 PROCEEDINGS.

Special Issues of the Journal of Industrial Ecology and Sustainability emanating from papers presented at PLATE are planned.

PLATE was deemed to be a great success by the delegates and organisers, with the majority of delegates finding it to be of excellent or good quality in relation to the papers, the event itself and the virtual social events, which included a music performance, quiz, yoga and virtual coffee break-outs.

The fifth PLATE conference will be hosted by Aalto University, Finland, 31^st May – 2^nd June 2023.