UL Xplorlabs is an online virtual safety science resource for secondary students and their teachers. Based on the safety research being conducted at Underwriters Laboratories, UL Xplorlabs investigates the science behind the safety in online and hands-on investigations.

In 2019, UL Xplorlabs launched a new module under the theme Safe and Sustainable Cities. The first in the series is Extraction to Ewaste: The Lithium-ion Battery Supply Chain. In this module, participants investigate a mobile phone’s power source: each step in a Li-ion pouch cell’s production from raw minerals to when the phone arrives in our hands. Then, the module explores the global issue of e-waste as the phones break or become obsolete.

As a part of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities, Xplorlabs supports youth understanding and solutions for e-waste, a global safety issue.