Green giants take on e-waste: extended producer responsibility helps recover materials safely and promote cleaner design

Communications News, August, 2008 by Denise DiRamio

Some people claim that asking manufacturers to take on the burden of being environmentally responsible for their own obsolete products is unfair, but manufacturers are the ones that are in the best position to affect the environmental impacts of their products.

Manufacturers can prevent waste and environmental problems at the source by changing the design of their products. They can design products to use less material, more recyclable material and fewer toxins. They can design products to be more durable, repairable, upgradeable or reusable. They can take back end-of-life products for reuse or recycling.

The concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) has been mandated by law in many countries. The waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) directive in the European Union forces manufacturers of electronics to collect and recycle or reuse their products in order to divert them from landfills.

The United States does not have federally driven EPR programs, but the practice of extended producer responsibility in the United States is gaining support from an unexpected source--producers. Perhaps setting the pace for the rest of the industry, some high-profile electronics manufacturers are voluntarily assuming responsibility for what happens to their products after they become obsolete.

Dell says it is committed to providing efficient and easy product-recovery options to facilitate responsible product retirement. The company also promotes refurbishing and reusing its products as an alternative to recycling them. Dell encourages this same level of responsibility from other producers throughout the electronics industry. "We have a responsibility to our customers to recycle the products we make and sell," says Chairman and CEO Michael Dell.

HP makes a point to remarket used equipment whenever possible, while obsolete or damaged equipment is directed to the company's recycling centers. HP reused 65 million pounds of hardware, refurbishing it for resale or donation, and recycled nearly 250 million pounds of hardware and print cartridges globally in 2007.

Xerox has diverted more than two billion pounds of e-waste from landfills through a product take-back program, and through reusing and recycling parts. "Xerox's experience with reuse, recycling and remanufacturing has not only kept waste out of landfills, but saved the company more than $2 billion as it did so," says Patricia Calkins, vice president of environment, health and safety at Xerox.

Lenovo Asset Recovery Services helps businesses manage their end-of-life equipment by providing computer take-back, refurbishment and recycling services. Lenovo first prioritizes refurbishment and reuse, and then focuses on recycling. In 2007, Lenovo managed the proper disposal of more than 38 million pounds of computer equipment. More than 93 percent of that was reused as products or recycled as materials.

In addition to keeping electronics out of landfills to protect the environment, these companies have found that EPR offers additional benefits. Valuable resources (e.g., precious metals, plastics, glass) can be extracted and reused. Manufacturers also realize the benefit of fostering brand loyalty and improving relationships with increasingly environmentally conscious customers, as well.

Customers have a role to play in choosing to buy less wasteful products, repairing, reusing or recycling products at the end of their useful life, but manufacturers are more likely to create environmentally safe products if they are responsible for their products from cradle to grave. Over time, the market will reward companies that provide the eco-friendly products customers demand.

Communications News' GreenTech column focuses on a variety of issues concerning the green IT movement.

You can contact Associate Editor Denise DiRamio at ddiramio@comnews.com.