At present, the alliance is tackling one of the industry’s toughest hurdles: How does an end-of-life product make its way from the consumer to the retailer, back to the manufacturer, and ultimately to a local recycler who can return its materials to the loop? What sounds like a logistics question is, in reality, a puzzle of responsibility, incentives, and system design. SASEM brings together stakeholders who rarely sit at the same table.

Several times a year, members meet online for project-focused workshops; in November 2026, the first full-day SASEM Summit will take place on the premises of a member company. Alongside exchange and networking, technological innovations and new solution approaches will be in the spotlight.

A second key pillar of SASEM is funding projects. Under CU’s leadership, two proposals addressing core sustainability topics were submitted within the alliance’s first weeks—a clear signal that this initiative is here not just to talk, but to deliver.