Vanessa Forti

About

Vanessa Forti, Associate Programme Officer at UNITAR-SCYCLE, is an environmental engineer graduated cum laude from Universita’ degli Studi di Bologna. She has a strong experience in the field of sustainability with more than seven years of experience in waste quantification at global level, waste management, resource efficiency and assessing environmental impacts associated to hazardous chemicals. Vanessa Forti, Associate Programme Officer at UNITAR-SCYCLE, is an environmental engineer. She has a strong experience in the field of sustainability with more than four years of experience in waste quantification at global level, waste management, resource efficiency and assessing environmental impacts associated to hazardous chemicals. Vanessa is the author of various publications that focus on quantifying e-waste amounts and environmental impacts, such as the 2020 and the 2024 edition of the Global E-waste Monitor, and the globally recognized E-waste Statistics Guidelines on classification, reporting and indicators (Forti et al. 2018). Vanessa has an in-depth expertise in developing methodologies, surveying, modelling, and reporting on waste statistics (e-waste, mercury, and battery waste). She is also a member of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership, which works to help countries produce e-waste statistics and to build a global e-waste database for tracking developments over time. She has co-developed e-waste guidelines on classification, reporting and indicators with the aim to support governments in compiling e-waste data using an internationally harmonized framework. She is highly skilled in organizing, developing, and conducting capacity-building workshops on e-waste statistics, legislations and e-waste management addressed to governmental bodies and policy makers. In this context, Vanessa has gained experience in consulting with experts and stakeholders and in consensus building with facilitating dialogue and knowledge sharing between policy makers and non-governmental organizations and in building institutional capacity on e-waste. She has conducted numerous projects for various European Institutions, she has co-developed EEE Placed on Market and WEEE Generated tools and manuals that are used globally. She is currently managing a four-year service contract for DG Environment to support the Commission with the "Update and maintenance of the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) calculation electronic" (Reference: No 07.0201/2019/811039/SER/ENV.B.3).

About UNITAR-SCYCLE

UNITAR's Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme has been a pivotal partner to the European Commission and other stakeholders since 2002, focusing extensively on the review and implementation of the WEEE Directive. As a global leader in e-waste data, SCYCLE supports its science-based recommendations with robust quantitative and qualitative evidence. Notable studies by the SCYCLE team include the 2008 Review of Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), studies on WEEE collection rates and recovery targets under Directive 2012/19/EU, and study on WEEE recovery targets, preparation for re-use targets and on the method for calculation of the recovery targets (Art. 11). In addition, UNITAR experts’ advice on multilateral environmental agreements, are servicing the EC on RoHS exemptions and WEEE calculation tools and work extensively on waste environmental crime related issues as well e-waste training. SCYCLE, part of UNITAR (previously at the United Nations University), facilitates international decision-making on sustainable e-waste management. The programme's expertise spans data gathering, policy evaluation, public-private partnerships, training, and stakeholder consultations, all contributing to informed policy development aligned with sustainable development goals. SCYCLE aims to reduce the environmental impact of ubiquitous goods, especially Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), to sustainable levels through rigorous, independent research and practical training. As a leading global authority on e-waste, SCYCLE publishes comprehensive data assessments in its Global, Regional, and National E-waste Monitors and has developed widely endorsed methodologies for e-waste statistics worldwide. SCYCLE's data-driven analyses and stakeholder consultations inform legislative and policy recommendations, providing guidance to governmental and international bodies, businesses, and organizations. SCYCLE promotes solution-oriented dialogue, cooperation, and consensus-building across sectors. Within this context, SCYCLE accomplishes the following:

1. Conducts research on eco-structuring towards sustainable societies.
2. Develops interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder public-private partnerships.
3. Assists governments in developing e-waste legislation and standards.
4. Responsible for education, training, and capacity development.
5. Facilitates and disseminates practical, science-based recommendations to the United Nations and its agencies, governments, scholars, industries, and the public. Key expertise of SCYCLE is:
6. Data gathering on the production, usage and final disposal of ubiquitous goods and analysis to inform policy making on international, regional and national level. Methodology development for statistics related to
7. Evaluation of policies and development of recommendations along the principals of sustainable development and especially UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
8. Development and management of Public-Private-Partnerships to jointly work on scientific, but nevertheless applied basis.
9. Designing and conducting training, workshops and stakeholder consultations.