ITA NETWORKING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
The ITA hosts regular Networking Events and Workshops for its members. These events provide our members, both corporate and SMME's, the opportunity to forge new business relationships and share knowledge and skills. Make sure you diarise the next event and also browse the photo gallery of past events.
| When | What | Where | I want to know more |
| 2nd Quarter 2008 | ITA Sustainable Schools Project 2008 - Official Launch | To be announced | ita@ita.org.za |
| 2nd Quarter 2008 | ITA Member Survey | Electronic Survey | ita@ita.org.za |
| 15 May 2008 | ITA Event"Networking" | AXIZ | ita@ita.org.za |
| June 2008 | PHAKISA follow-up Seminar"Entrepreneur, Pricing, Marketing & Alternative Finance" | BYTES Conference Centre | ita@ita.org.za |
| 26 June 2008 | ITA AGM | BCX office, Randjies Park,16th Street, Midrand | Nisha@ita.org.za |
| August 2008 | Community SMME Seminar "Franchising, Finance, Big Business opportunities" | To be announced | ita@ita.org.za |
| September 2008 | ITA Networking Event | To be announced | ita@ita.org.za |
| October 2008 | ITA Golf Day | 22nd October 2008 Kyalami Country Club | Nisha@ita.org.za |
| December 2008 | ITA Christmas Tree - Bringing joy to underprivileged communities | To be announced | ita@ita.org.za |
The ITA e-Waste Sub-committee recently attended the 7th World Congress on the Recovery of Materials and Resource Efficiency (R07) in Davos, Switzerland. The attendance of this conference was made possible by generous sponsorship from EMPA. For more information on the congress visit www.r07.org .
ITA e-WASTE CONFERENCE HOSTED ON 17 MAY 2007 - MISSED OUT? READ THE REVIEW!
THANK YOU!
A Special Thank You to our Sponsors:
Hewlett Packard South Africa (Platinum Sponsor)
Dell South Africa (Gold Sponsor)
Swiss Business Hub (Gold Sponsor)
Siemens (Silver Sponsor)
Exhibitions for Africa (Venue)
EMPA and SECO (Knowledge Partners)
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS: SOME OF MY THOUGHTS
The ITA/SANGONeT e-Waste Conference (“Where does your computer go to die? The e-Waste Situation in South Africa.”) was held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 17 May 2007, co-hosting with the popular Futurex Exhibition 2007. Conference registration was at a record high and final attendance (over 95%) set a new record. Sunil Geness from SAP and also a Vice-President of the ITA was the Programme Director and ensured a smooth running event.
We were also honored to have two speakers from abroad, namely Peter Bornand (Chairperson of the SWICO Environmental Commission in Switzerland) and Klaus Hieronymi (EMEA Manager of HP in Europe). Although having opposite views regarding the most suitable e-waste management system for South Africa, they provided delegates with a clear understanding of successes and challenges facing consumers and the ICT Industry in the EU.
Central to the theme of the conference was the fact that the ICT Industry and consumers of electrical and electronic equipment stands at the threshold of an environmental revolution! Producer responsibility, nationwide acceptance, controlled recycling and secured financing are the four critical factors identified to ensure the success of the ITA initiative to lead the ICT industry to implementing an environmentally sound solution for dealing with the growing e-waste problem in South Africa. The ITA greatly relies on the support of eWasa (The e-Waste Association of South Africa) through its current Green e-Waste Channels in Durban, Cape Town and Gauteng as well as planned channels in other provinces. Green e-Waste Channels encourages participation on a multi-stakeholder platform and has the objective of establishing an environmentally sound collection- and disposal system for e-waste. One pilot project currently operating in the Gauteng Green e-Waste Channel has been pioneered by the dedication of Alan Finlay and his eWasa support team in participation with Pikitup. Pikitup is responsible for all waste management activities in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area, and Christa Venter presented delegates with the successes and challenges experienced by Pikitup at their various garden sites, now also e-waste collection points. Pikitup has taken a leading role in providing consumers with a central point for disposing of e-waste and want to share their experiences with other Municipalities. Through this and various other municipal initiatives, they hope to reduce the amount of e-waste going to landfill sites as identified in governments’ waste minimisation strategies.
Various speakers, including Keith Anderson (President of the ITA and also the COO of Axiz), stressed the importance of “Eco-design” or “Design for Recycling” principles. Our conference delegates were also fortunate to be the first to witness a new product produced from the plastic component of e-waste as presented by Horst Seute from the Plastics Federation of South Africa. This plastic/wood composite can be used for low-cost housing due to its obvious cost benefits and inherent flame retardant characteristics.
“Can we use computers and also be eco-friendly?” This is a very difficult question to answer, but part of the solution lies in the responsible recycling of all IT equipment and peripherals. The loss of natural resources in terms of the material footprint for one PC not recycled is equivalent to the loss of 2,3 motor vehicles or 70 washing machines or 160 microwave ovens! All activities should be based on the 5 capital model of sustainable development (human-, manufacturing-, financial-, social- and natural capital) and only through giving serious attention to each of these pillars can we preserve our natural resources.
CONCLUSION
Overall feedback indicates that the conference achieved its objective of increased awareness and based on the number of attendees, program participation, media coverage and delegate perceptions, we urge you to keep up with this environmental revolution! The conference also provides the ITA with a platform for more focused workshops with the ICT Industry, environmental interest groups, academia, recyclers and consumer groups in the near future.
Greetings from a bustling ITA Office!