The IC Resource

Welcome to the IC Resource – your quarterly look at the global semiconductor industry.

Edition 2. Q3 2025
Global insights from industry experts Ole Gerkensmeyer, Shari Begun and Claus Aasholm

The circular economy in electronics seeks to combat the mounting challenge of e-waste through strategies such as recycling, refurbishing, and reusing electronic sub-systems at the highest possible level. Unlike the traditional “take-make-dispose” model, circular practices aim to maximize resource efficiency, extend product lifecycles, and reduce environmental impact. With global e-waste projected to grow sharply, the sector faces increasing pressure to reduce its linear “throw-away-design” mentality. Policies such as the EU Green Deal, rising consumer awareness, and innovative approaches like urban mining make the transition to circular electronics both urgent and promising.

Key Concepts

The EU Green Deal drives Europe toward climate neutrality by 2050 and directly addresses e-waste as the fastest-growing industrial waste stream. Its policies aim to foster a circular economy by prioritizing reuse, recycling, and resource efficiency. Urban mining plays a critical role here, focusing on extracting metals such as gold, copper, and aluminum from discarded electronics, reducing reliance on virgin resource extraction. Another crucial concept is the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), which measures greenhouse gas emissions throughout a product’s life cycle, though integration with circularity efforts in electronics is still limited. Complementing these is the WEEE Directive, which requires producers to take back and recycle devices, and the broader definition of E-waste, which includes the growing volume of discarded consumer devices. Finally, R-strategies—ranging from Refuse to Recycle—provide a structured framework for circular action.

The Mandate from the E-Waste Crisis

E-waste is growing at alarming rates. In 2022, approximately 62 million tonnes were generated globally, a figure projected to rise to 82 million tonnes by 2030. Recycling rates remain low at around 22%, and the presence of hazardous substances such as mercury and brominated plastics adds major environmental and health risks. Increased consumption of electronics, coupled with shorter lifespans of devices and weak recycling infrastructure, underlines the urgent mandate for adopting circular practices across the industry.

Current Implementation of R-Strategies

Several circular strategies are already being implemented in the electronics sector:
Recycling remains the most common but often destroys functional high-value components. Current programs, especially in Europe, focus on reclaiming precious metals.
Refurbishing extends the lifespan of electronics such as laptops, smartphones, and appliances, providing affordable alternatives to new products and reducing waste.
Reuse at the highest level prioritizes preserving maximum product value by repurposing devices in their original form. Second-life applications, particularly in electric vehicle (EV) battery reuse for home energy storage, highlight its growing potential.

Requirements for High-Level Reuse

To enable second-life use, several considerations must be addressed:
Cost of extraction, particularly of semiconductors and passive components, requires innovative modular designs to make component reuse feasible.
Component aging must be tested carefully to ensure safety and function.
Degradation tracking enables prediction of failures through the monitoring of stressors such as heat and voltage.
Software licensing ensures continuity in reuse by enabling license transfer or updated solutions.
User expectations require refurbished devices to match the performance of new products, demanding strict testing and quality assurance.

Business Case for Circular Electronics

A circular economy offers tangible economic benefits:
Cost savings: By reusing first-life components, manufacturers can drastically cut the bill of materials for new devices.
Revenue opportunities: Refurbished products create new markets by offering high-quality devices at lower costs.
New competencies: Companies adopting circular models can develop innovative lines of business and strengthen partnerships, moving beyond linear “throw-away” operations.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

The transition to a circular economy in electronics is both an environmental necessity and a business opportunity. By adopting R-strategies, companies can reduce waste, cut costs, and capitalize on growing demand for refurbished and second-life products. As regulations tighten and technologies evolve, circular practices will shape the future of electronics. Rather than being a burden, e-waste can become a valuable resource—an opportunity for the industry to shift toward sustainable growth while significantly reducing its environmental footprint.

Circular Economy in Electronics: A Comprehensive Overview

Winning big in Semiconductors: The Blueprint for Predictable Growth

Written by; Shari Begun

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Let’s be honest: in semiconductors, great tech gets you in the door—but it doesn’t win the deal. The companies that consistently win big? They’re not just reacting to what customers say—they’re uncovering what hasn’t been said yet. Then they move fast, execute with precision, and stay focused on what matters.
The real differentiator? It’s not luck. It’s a blueprint—a repeatable way of thinking, prioritizing, and working that turns opportunity into predictable revenue and profitable growth, even in the most volatile markets.

Focus on What You Don’t Know
The biggest growth often hides in the blind spots. What’s around the corner for your customer? Who’s really influencing the next design? Where are the dollars actually going next year?
Too many teams spend the majority of their time servicing existing business. Yes, we need to deliver flawlessly—but that shouldn’t consume most of your day. If your team is only protecting what’s already won, you’re playing defense. Growth comes from chasing new programs, new people, and new problems to solve.
Curiosity wins. Go find what you don’t know.

Be Strategic, Then Get Scrappy
You can’t win everywhere. So prioritize. Where’s the revenue? Which customers matter most? What programs actually have legs?
Build your funnel based on reality—real volumes, real timelines, real competitive dynamics. Use the tools: block diagrams, site maps, stakeholder charts. And when things slow down? Escalate early. Follow up relentlessly. Never confuse interest with commitment.

Big Customers, Big Complexity
Large customers are never simple. There’s no single decision-maker, and priorities shift constantly. Legal terms, ESG, supply assurance—those aren’t afterthoughts. They’re critical.
So get ahead of them. Know who needs to be in the room. Build relationships across supply chain, design teams, and leadership. Don’t wait to be told what matters—go ask.

Land Smart, Expand Fast
Sometimes, the only way in is through a small win. That’s okay—as long as you treat it like the first step, not the finish line. Show up in engineering reviews. Share insights before they ask. And always define next steps: If we do this, will you do that?
Small wins become strategic when you deliver value fast and follow through.

Sales Is Everyone’s Job
This isn’t just on the account manager. Your BU, ops, and customer service teams are part of the sales engine too. Help them think like sellers. Ask smart questions. Listen first. Connect the dots back to the customer’s goals.
Strong internal alignment builds even stronger external trust.

Lead with Clarity. Push with Urgency.
The best leaders don’t micromanage—they unblock. They align teams, confront friction, and push on the right priorities. They ask, “Where’s the next $10M?”—and they don’t wait for perfect conditions.

In semiconductors, growth isn’t an accident. It’s intentional. It’s built. And with the right blueprint, it’s repeatable.

Let’s go win.

Blindspots in planning – the unsustainable factor

In today’s world of advancing technology, tariffs, investment in facilities and deep shortages it’s easy to think that solutions are themselves technological. Much of the promised funding and construction – particularly in USA – is geared to safeguard supply chains, and to develop national resilience to external factors and risk.

While important – the ability to produce chips, to build stuff and physically have enough production capacity is key to the economy, not only votes in an election year – the press and coverage tends to gloss over one critical piece of the puzzle…..where are the qualified personnel going to come from to sustain this growth? To deliver the materials promised by politicians?

Looking to the USA for example, various think-tanks estimate a shortfall of 50-75,000 qualified people (heavily biased to engineering) by 2030. This may seem far off, but the problems are being felt now. Almost every one of the critical fabs and foundries committed to under CHIPS act funding are delayed. Why? Lack of personnel. If factories cannot be built, or advanced semiconductor capital equipment operated and calibrated then progress is necessarily delayed. I’d be keen to see an AI that can build a factory!

So how can you, as a consumer of talent, safeguard yourself against problems in finding enough people to run your operation? You could poach from competition, but that’s expensive and ultimately a zero sum game. You could re-hire your retired engineers as consultants, and pay them $1,000 a day. Or you can invest in training programmes, and develop your people from an early stage to bring in the customised, focused talent you desire. Perhaps you partner with technical colleges and offer apprenticeships.

People are a competitive advantage, but by their nature are not sustainable or resilient. Planning to sustain their capacity by augmenting their skills with data tools and systems is wise, but by developing process and strategy, hand-in-hand with a focused agency like IC Resources should be a go-to for your sustainability needs.

Written by; Claus Aasholm

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IC Resources highlights

James Cunningham – Business Development Director

Discover more about James

Global growth, industry recognition, and a bright outlook for 2025

Our CEO and Co-Founder, Neil Dickins, has had a standout year. In recognition of his long-standing commitment to the UK deep-tech industry, Neil has received two prestigious awards. In December, the TechWorks ‘Contribution to Industry’ Award, and just last week he was awarded the Silicon Catalyst ‘Octagon of Excellence’ award in Mountain View, Silicon Valley. Neil also plays an active role with the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), helping to bridge the skills gap and inspire future talent in electronics. His deep knowledge of the semiconductor and electronics sectors and his ability to identify emerging companies and trends continue to be a driving force behind our business.

Since January 2025, we’ve been actively expanding our global footprint and deepening our engagement within the tech community:

New Office in Austin, Texas
In March 2025, we proudly opened our fifth office in Austin, Texas, located in the Four Points area of West Austin. This strategic move strengthens our presence across North America and CALA (Central and Latin America), with a focus on semiconductor and software recruitment. The office will serve as a regional hub, tapping into Austin’s thriving tech scene. We’re delighted to have Tom Chapman as President and Zach Ward as Vice President of Sales leading the charge.

National Sponsorships
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting innovation in deep tech, we’re proud national sponsors of key organisations who are driving progress across the semiconductor sector, including The Bessemer Society, ChipStart UK, and TechWorks. Through these partnerships, we help foster collaboration between visionary start-ups, industry leaders, and technical talent. Whether it’s championing early-stage ventures, contributing to thought leadership, or supporting UK tech on the global stage, we’re invested in the long-term growth of the semiconductor and wider deep tech ecosystem.

Here’s to continued innovation, collaboration and global growth in 2025 and beyond!

For more information on any of the articles featured in this edition of The IC Resource, or, if you would like to contribute to our future editions, please get in touch – james.cunningham@ic-resources.com or, +44 (0)118 988 1166.

As well as writing long-term success stories, our aim is to contribute to the health of the industry as a whole.

IC Resources has been supporting the technology community since 1999. We are an independent, founder-led recruitment consultancy with a team of 70 specialist consultants, operating across the Semiconductor, Electronics, Software, AI, Photonics and Quantum sectors. Our work spans technical operations, sales and marketing and executive search, and we’re proud to offer both global reach and local expertise with offices in Reading, London, Munich, Austin and Pennsylvania.

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