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ESG Is Growing Up: Six Takeaways from Trellis Impact 2026

07/29/26

By Angela Remus, OEM Solutions & ESG Manager 

The conversation around ESG is changing. 

For years, much of the focus centered on setting ambitious goals, making public commitments, and establishing sustainability strategies. Those priorities remain important, but after attending Trellis Impact 2026, one message emerged across nearly every session I joined. 

Execution has become the differentiator. 

Organizations are asking more practical questions. How do we verify ESG claims? How do we make circularity financially viable? How do we reduce Scope 3 emissions in ways that create measurable impact? And how do we use technology, including artificial intelligence, responsibly to accelerate progress? 

For companies across the electronics value chain, from manufacturers to procurement teams, recyclers, and sustainability leaders, the next phase of ESG will be defined less by ambition and more by action. 

Here are the six themes that stood out to me and why they matter. 

The next generation of ESG leaders won’t be measured by the goals they announce. They’ll be measured by the progress they can prove.

1. Circularity Has Become a Business Strategy

One message surfaced repeatedly throughout the conference: circularity is no longer just an environmental initiative. It’s becoming a business strategy. 

Organizations are increasingly looking for trusted sources of refurbished equipment, recovered materials, and verified recycling partners that can help them meet sustainability goals while strengthening supply chain resilience. Without market demand, even the strongest collection and recycling programs struggle to scale. 

This mirrors the work being advanced by the Circular Electronics Partnership (CEP), which brings together manufacturers, technology companies, recyclers, and NGOs to accelerate circularity across the electronics value chain. Their research reinforces that circularity succeeds when product design, procurement, reuse, and responsible end-of-life management are addressed together rather than as isolated initiatives. 

Sessions exploring circular electronics, product design, and material recovery reinforced that success depends on thinking beyond collection. Organizations must consider the entire lifecycle, from product design and procurement to refurbishment, reuse, and responsible recycling. 

For OEMs, that means circularity is no longer simply a compliance consideration. It’s becoming part of product strategy, customer expectations, supply chain resilience, and long-term business growth. 

Circularity isn’t simply about keeping materials out of landfills. It’s about protecting access to valuable resources, improving operational efficiency, and creating more resilient supply chains. 

2. Trust Is Becoming ESG's Most Valuable Currency

Another consistent theme throughout Trellis Impact was credibility. 

As sustainability expectations mature, organizations are facing greater scrutiny around the claims they make. Simply describing a program as “green” or “sustainable” is no longer enough. Customers, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders increasingly expect those claims to be supported by recognized standards, transparent reporting, and measurable outcomes. 

Discussions around EPEAT Renew illustrated how third-party verification helps build confidence in refurbished electronics by validating product quality, responsible processing, secure data sanitization, and lifecycle performance. 

That emphasis on verification aligns with the evolution of EPEAT, whose expanded criteria now evaluate products and manufacturers across lifecycle impacts, climate performance, supply chain responsibility, and corporate sustainability practices. As expectations continue to rise, independently verified standards are becoming an important way for organizations to demonstrate credible environmental performance. 

Whether an organization is reporting emissions reductions, managing electronics responsibly, or supporting circularity initiatives, credibility increasingly depends on documented processes, independently verified certifications, and data that can withstand scrutiny. 

Trust isn’t built through marketing. 

It’s built through transparency.

3. Scope 3 Progress Depends on Stronger Partnerships

Reducing Scope 3 emissions remains one of the biggest challenges facing organizations today and one of the biggest opportunities. 

That same shift is reflected in the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0, which places greater emphasis on implementation, transition planning, and demonstrating measurable progress. Rather than focusing solely on setting ambitious targets, organizations are increasingly expected to show how those commitments are being integrated into day-to-day operations and supplier engagement. 

Several sessions explored new approaches to decarbonizing supply chains, including Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) and other market-based mechanisms. While these tools can play a role, the broader message was clear: meaningful progress starts with collaboration. 

Companies are recognizing they can’t address Scope 3 emissions alone. Success depends on engaging suppliers, improving data quality, increasing transparency, and working with partners who share a commitment to measurable outcomes. 

For organizations managing electronics and IT assets, that means looking beyond a single transaction. Choosing partners that can provide secure chain of custody, accurate reporting, responsible reuse, and verified recycling practices can contribute to broader sustainability objectives while strengthening operational resilience. 

The organizations making the greatest progress aren’t treating Scope 3 as a reporting exercise. They’re embedding sustainability into supplier relationships, purchasing decisions, operational planning, and long-term business strategy. 

4. AI Can Accelerate Sustainability, If We Use It Responsibly

Artificial intelligence was impossible to ignore at Trellis Impact 2026. 

What stood out wasn’t simply AI’s ability to improve efficiency. The conversation increasingly focused on how organizations can deploy AI responsibly while accounting for its growing demand for energy, water, and computing infrastructure. 

AI has tremendous potential to help organizations analyze emissions data, optimize logistics, improve supply chain visibility, assess climate risk, and make faster, more informed decisions. 

Those capabilities are exciting, but they also come with responsibility. 

As AI adoption accelerates, sustainability leaders must evaluate both the benefits AI delivers and the resources it consumes. 

The opportunity isn’t simply to use AI. 

It’s to use it thoughtfully. 

Organizations that balance innovation with responsible resource management will be better positioned to capture AI’s value while supporting long-term sustainability goals. 

Technology should help organizations make better sustainability decisions, not simply faster ones.

5. The Urban Mine Is Becoming One of Our Greatest Resources

Perhaps the most compelling discussion throughout the conference focused on critical minerals and what many are calling the urban mine. 

Rather than relying exclusively on newly mined materials, organizations are increasingly recognizing the value already sitting in retired electronics, batteries, IT assets, and infrastructure. 

Those materials represent an enormous opportunity. 

Recovering valuable commodities through responsible reuse, refurbishment, and recycling not only reduces waste, it also strengthens domestic supply chains, supports manufacturing, and helps address growing demand for critical minerals used in today’s technologies. 

Industry organizations, including the Circular Electronics Partnership, continue to highlight the importance of recovering valuable materials already in circulation as demand for critical minerals grows. Responsible reuse and recycling are becoming increasingly important strategies for strengthening supply chain resilience while reducing environmental impact. 

This is where circularity becomes tangible. 

Every device that is reused extends the life of valuable materials. Every product responsibly recycled helps recover resources that can be returned to manufacturing. Every organization that prioritizes responsible lifecycle management contributes to a more resilient and sustainable supply chain. 

For companies developing ESG strategies, responsible electronics management is no longer simply an end-of-life consideration. It’s becoming an important contributor to climate goals, material security, and long-term business resilience. 

The materials needed to build tomorrow’s technologies are already in circulation today. Recovering them responsibly is becoming a competitive advantage.

6. ESG Success Will Be Built Through Collaboration

One final theme connected nearly every conversation I participated in. 

No single organization can build a circular economy alone. 

Manufacturers, OEMs, retailers, recyclers, procurement teams, standards organizations, policymakers, and sustainability leaders all have a role to play. Progress depends on stronger partnerships, shared accountability, and a willingness to look beyond individual organizational goals. 

The organizations leading the next chapter of ESG won’t necessarily be those with the most ambitious commitments. They’ll be the ones that successfully align environmental objectives with operational execution, transparent reporting, and trusted partnerships. 

That’s encouraging because many of the building blocks already exist. 

The opportunity now is to connect them in ways that create lasting business value alongside measurable environmental impact.

My Biggest Takeaway

As I reflected on the conversations at Trellis Impact, one thought kept coming back to me. 

My biggest takeaway is this: ESG isn’t becoming more complicated. It’s becoming more integrated into how successful organizations operate. 

It’s no longer a standalone initiative owned by one department or driven primarily by annual reporting requirements. It’s influencing how organizations design products, select suppliers, manage assets, build supply chains, and measure long-term business performance. 

That’s an encouraging shift. 

When sustainability becomes part of everyday business decisions instead of a separate initiative, organizations are better positioned to create lasting value for their customers, stakeholders, and the environment. 

For those of us working across the electronics lifecycle, that’s where the greatest opportunity lies. By connecting sustainability goals with operational execution, trusted partnerships, and transparent data, we can move beyond ambition and deliver measurable impact. 

The future of ESG won’t be defined by the commitments we make. It will be defined by the actions we take, the partnerships we build, and the measurable impact we create together.

Related Resources

Industry Resources

Circular Electronics Partnership Resource Library

Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0  

EPEAT 2.0 

Dynamic Resources

Ready to Turn ESG Goals into Action?

Whether you’re strengthening your circular economy strategy, navigating evolving EPR and ESG requirements, or looking for a trusted partner to support responsible electronics lifecycle management, Dynamic can help. 

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