Adam Brownsell

Small consumer items often not recognised as electronics, such as hairdryers, speakers and vapes – classified as ‘invisible’ electronic waste – amount to 9 billion kilograms of e-waste every year. That’s according to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum, a multinational association of WEEE producers, which commissioned the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (Unitar) to calculate how much ‘invisible’ e-waste is generated every year.

In this supplement, we’re examining the science behind innovation and demonstrating its success in bringing about ground-breaking discoveries. For many, science is all about prepared methodology, facts and results. But this view of the field discounts the remarkable breakthroughs and inventions that have been derived from fortuitous occurrences or seemingly everyday experiences.

Events and conferences were shelved, postponed or hastily made virtual in the wake of the pandemic. However, welcome progress is now being made towards a more diverse, responsive and accessible digital event landscape. The Chemistry World team celebrated, if that is the word, our one-year anniversary of working remotely on 15 March 2021.