SERI concluded its second annual eSummit, bringing together hundreds of stakeholders from across the electronics lifecycle for four transformative days of collaboration, innovation, and strategic planning at the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot. Building on lessons from the inaugural 2024 event, this year’s restructured format introduced new pathways for engagement, including the Expo+ Day and Forward Together workshops.
“eSummit 2025 demonstrated again that ‘all the right people, all in one place’ isn’t just a tagline. It’s a methodology that creates real value,” said Jeff Seibert, Chief Provocateur at SERI. “What鈥檚 truly different about the eSummit is that it鈥檚 designed to engage all across the electronics value chain and bring together people that otherwise don鈥檛 get enough opportunities to build meaningful relationships and collaborate to advance the sustainability of electronics at a strategic level. The changes we made from year one to year two helped expand the ability to make the connections and commitments needed to move from talking about a circular economy to actually building it.”
Monday’s pre-conference programming set the collaborative tone with the R2 TAC Meeting, facility tours organized by Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations, IRT, and ASCDI showcasing real-world operations, and Google’s Repair Meetup connecting repair the entire repair community, from OEM through technicians to share challenges and solutions.
The new Expo+ format transformed the traditional trade show experience. By positioning the Innovation Stage directly in the Expo Hall, attendees naturally circulated between live demonstrations and exhibitor booths, creating an interconnected experience that kept energy high throughout the day. The Industry Awards celebrated both veteran leadership and emerging voices, with Cassie Gruber from Jabil receiving the Jim Lynch Hall of Fame Award, and Dylan Zajac from Computers 4 People earning the Rising Star Award. The evening’s Repair-Off, sponsored by Google, uBreakiFix, with toolkits provided by iFixit, brought repair skills to center stage, with diverse participants competing in timed challenges disassembling and reassembling Pixel phones provided by uBreakiFix, that had the audience on the edge of their seats. First place won a Pixel 10 Phone and an All-Access pass to eSummit 2026 鈥� congratulations to Alex from Alta Technologies with a time of 3 minutes flat). 2nd place won a Pixel Watch 3 and 3rd won Pixel Buds Pro 2. All participants were allowed to keep their Pro Tech Go Toolkits.
The Fast Forward Day shifted focus to the main stage, where industry leaders tackled strategic questions about the future of electronics sustainability. Opening, Corey Dehmey shared SERI鈥檚 10/35 vision, which sets forth the challenge that by 2035, 10-year lifespans of electronics will be common, and all materials will be reused at end-of-life. The following presentations explored a range of topics, from the impact of AI on device design to geographic shifts in manufacturing to new UN research validating the environmental benefits of product longevity to real-world case studies of successful repair ecosystems. Throughout the day, Jeff Seibert presented the inaugural ReThink Awards, recognizing Framework, HP Renew Solutions, and In2tec for creating systems-level change in the industry.
The conference concluded with an innovative ‘unconference’ format. Instead of traditional panels, cross-functional teams worked together at roundtables to develop practical solutions for challenges across the electronics lifecycle. Groups tackled critical issues from materials sourcing through end-of-life recovery, with discussions revealing common themes: the need for standardized components to enable repair, financial incentives to drive consumer participation in recycling, AI and automation to improve sorting efficiency, and education to shift mindsets from ‘new is better’ to valuing refurbishment and reuse. Several innovative ideas emerged, including blockchain tokens for recycling incentives, self-healing materials for device longevity, and applying automotive maintenance models to electronics.
SERI is excited to announce that eSummit 2026 will take place September 22-25, 2026, in Baltimore, Maryland. The conference will continue to refine the format introduced in 2025, featuring robust pre-conference content, Expo+ Day, Fast Forward Day, and Forward Together workshops, while evolving based on the feedback we鈥檝e gained from this year.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going into next year鈥檚 eSummit in Baltimore with even greater conviction that what we鈥檙e building is creating value for our industry and in the power of collaboration,鈥� noted Seibert. “It’ll be about scaling what works, improving what doesn’t, and pushing even further towards a sustainable electronics lifecycle that benefits everyone.”