BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:unctad.org BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6ae004f8839cb DTSTART:20240402T060000Z SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE DTEND:20240402T090000Z LOCATION:Amari Dhaka and Holiday Inn hotels\, Bangladesh SUMMARY:Workshop on business innovation and policy solutions to informal re cycling of used lead acid batteries in Bangladesh CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:As countries pursue a sustainable energy transition in their tr ansport sectors\, electric mobility stands out as a sector which relies mu ch on trade\, and in which circularity could have significant negative imp acts fo a just transition. In the case of Bangladesh\, a rapidly growing n umber of electric three-wheelers (EZ Bikes\, Mishuks\, e-rickshaws) move m ore than 112 million people per day in the country.  This presents a tran sformative opportunity for urban mobility\, fighting climate change by rep lacing fossil fuel-based transport options. However\, this industry has ma jor challenges linked to the circular management of end-of-life lead-acid batteries\, the primary technology used in Bangladesh e-mobility.One EZ Bi ke alone contains 125 kg lead in the batteries – 15 times more lead than in a car starter battery. These batteries have a very short life and are recycled once a year\, generating  over 167\,000 MT of lead waste annuall y. Most of this lead is informally recycled in open-pit bhattis\, causing lead contamination and poisoning among exposed workers and indirectly expo sed populations. Two in three children in Bangladesh have high levels of l ead in their blood\, which has been associated with IQ loss\, impairing th eir education and future income\, and inducing cardiovascular and renal di seases among other deadly outcomes.The market for batteries for millions o f electric three-wheelers has grown rapidly\, reaching around 8\,710 crore s BDT (USD 871 million) in 2022. Both the vehicles and this battery segmen t are often informal and unregulated\, resulting in large tax losses for t he government. Considering that only 30% of the Used Lead Acid Battery (UL AB) recycling is formal\, the tax revenue loss for the government reaches USD 91 million per year.Lack of regulation on battery standards and high i mport tariffs and taxes on battery imports have led to extensive local rec ycling\, often resulting in very poor quality of batteries. A set of EZ Bi ke batteries cost over 72\,000 Tk (or USD 650) but lasts only 8-11 months. This short life causes a high recycling rate and increased lead pollution . It also increases the operating cost of EZ Bikes\, affecting the livelih ood of millions of drivers and vehicle owners.A high amount of electricity is consumed to charge electric three-wheelers\, estimated to be over 5% o f Bangladesh’s total electricity consumption. Such large electricity use often come from fossil sources such as natural gas\, can place strain on the electricity grid and contribute to climate change\, negating one of th e premises of e-mobility to reduce fossil fuels in transport.In order to d iscuss business innovation and policy harmonization efforts to improve the circular economy aspects of e-mobility in Bangladesh\, Pure Earth\, Georg etown University and UNCTAD are convening a 2-day workshop in Dhaka. The e vent will address Bangladesh'\;s lead-acid battery industry challenges by exploring commercially attractive solutions for high-quality lead-acid batteries\, alternative technologies with higher energy density\, busines s model innovation\, and policy harmonization. A Background note prepared under the SMEP Programme will inform discussions.Workshop 1 (April 2\, 202 4): Workshop with the Private Sector: Working with the Battery Industry on Solutions for Quality\, Sustainability\, and Market AccessWorkshop 2 (Apr il 3\, 2024): Workshop with Policymakers on Electric Mobility in Banglades h: Unified Policies and Healthier JourneysThe Workshops are jointly hosted by Pure Earth Bangladesh and UNCTAD\, as part of the Sustainable Manufact uring and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme supported by UK-FCDO an d implemented in partnership with UNCTAD.  Georgetown University and Stan ford University are also participating. The SMEP grant for business and po licy innovation on ULABs in Bangladesh is administered by Pure Earth Bangl adesh and runs from February 2023 to February 2025. <\;p class="\;t ext-align-justify\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meetin g/workshop-business-innovation-and-policy-solutions-informal-recycling-use d-lead-acid DTSTAMP:20261027T015712Z END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6ae004f883a21 DTSTART:20240403T060000Z SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE DTEND:20240403T090000Z LOCATION:Amari Dhaka and Holiday Inn hotels\, Bangladesh SUMMARY:Workshop on business innovation and policy solutions to informal re cycling of used lead acid batteries in Bangladesh CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:As countries pursue a sustainable energy transition in their tr ansport sectors\, electric mobility stands out as a sector which relies mu ch on trade\, and in which circularity could have significant negative imp acts fo a just transition. In the case of Bangladesh\, a rapidly growing n umber of electric three-wheelers (EZ Bikes\, Mishuks\, e-rickshaws) move m ore than 112 million people per day in the country.  This presents a tran sformative opportunity for urban mobility\, fighting climate change by rep lacing fossil fuel-based transport options. However\, this industry has ma jor challenges linked to the circular management of end-of-life lead-acid batteries\, the primary technology used in Bangladesh e-mobility.One EZ Bi ke alone contains 125 kg lead in the batteries – 15 times more lead than in a car starter battery. These batteries have a very short life and are recycled once a year\, generating  over 167\,000 MT of lead waste annuall y. Most of this lead is informally recycled in open-pit bhattis\, causing lead contamination and poisoning among exposed workers and indirectly expo sed populations. Two in three children in Bangladesh have high levels of l ead in their blood\, which has been associated with IQ loss\, impairing th eir education and future income\, and inducing cardiovascular and renal di seases among other deadly outcomes.The market for batteries for millions o f electric three-wheelers has grown rapidly\, reaching around 8\,710 crore s BDT (USD 871 million) in 2022. Both the vehicles and this battery segmen t are often informal and unregulated\, resulting in large tax losses for t he government. Considering that only 30% of the Used Lead Acid Battery (UL AB) recycling is formal\, the tax revenue loss for the government reaches USD 91 million per year.Lack of regulation on battery standards and high i mport tariffs and taxes on battery imports have led to extensive local rec ycling\, often resulting in very poor quality of batteries. A set of EZ Bi ke batteries cost over 72\,000 Tk (or USD 650) but lasts only 8-11 months. This short life causes a high recycling rate and increased lead pollution . It also increases the operating cost of EZ Bikes\, affecting the livelih ood of millions of drivers and vehicle owners.A high amount of electricity is consumed to charge electric three-wheelers\, estimated to be over 5% o f Bangladesh’s total electricity consumption. Such large electricity use often come from fossil sources such as natural gas\, can place strain on the electricity grid and contribute to climate change\, negating one of th e premises of e-mobility to reduce fossil fuels in transport.In order to d iscuss business innovation and policy harmonization efforts to improve the circular economy aspects of e-mobility in Bangladesh\, Pure Earth\, Georg etown University and UNCTAD are convening a 2-day workshop in Dhaka. The e vent will address Bangladesh'\;s lead-acid battery industry challenges by exploring commercially attractive solutions for high-quality lead-acid batteries\, alternative technologies with higher energy density\, busines s model innovation\, and policy harmonization. A Background note prepared under the SMEP Programme will inform discussions.Workshop 1 (April 2\, 202 4): Workshop with the Private Sector: Working with the Battery Industry on Solutions for Quality\, Sustainability\, and Market AccessWorkshop 2 (Apr il 3\, 2024): Workshop with Policymakers on Electric Mobility in Banglades h: Unified Policies and Healthier JourneysThe Workshops are jointly hosted by Pure Earth Bangladesh and UNCTAD\, as part of the Sustainable Manufact uring and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme supported by UK-FCDO an d implemented in partnership with UNCTAD.  Georgetown University and Stan ford University are also participating. The SMEP grant for business and po licy innovation on ULABs in Bangladesh is administered by Pure Earth Bangl adesh and runs from February 2023 to February 2025. <\;p class="\;t ext-align-justify\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meetin g/workshop-business-innovation-and-policy-solutions-informal-recycling-use d-lead-acid DTSTAMP:20261027T015712Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR