The biennial conference brought together academics, industry, civil society as well as policy makers and dealt with product lifetimes in the context of sustainability. Participants' contributions focused predominantly on sustainable practices in the development, production, use, reuse and recycling of products from various fields like electronics, textiles, furniture, vehicles etc. Particularly popular topics in 2019 were current movements like the circular economy, ecodesign and collaborative consumption.

A true highlight of the conference were the hands-on workshops taking place on Thursday and Friday morning. 11 workshops, 11 different approaches to making products more sustainable or judging their sustainability. From “Proactive Obsolescence Management” and “The Sustainable Smartphone of the Future” to strategies for prolonging fashion products’ lifetime and “Testing for Premature Obsolescence” – there was something interesting for everyone to be found!

The welcome reception on the first day and the networking dinner on the second day were very well attended and provided a chance to network and discuss the day’s presentations and insights in a more relaxed setting. Furthermore, the first evening event was accompanied by an exhibition at which various NGOs and initiatives presented their work.

We would like to thank all keynote presenters, speakers, session chairs, committee members and exhibitors for the part they played in this truly memorable event. We hope to see you at the next PLATE conference that will be held in Limerick in 2021!