INDUSTRY TAKE BACK Electronic Recycling Programs:

Many companies are increasing their commitment to social and environmental responsibility, creating recycling programs that give the consumer the option of sending back their old equipment after purchasing new products. These programs are called "take back" programs.

The Electronic Industries Alliance sponsors the Consumer Education Initiative, (www.eiae.org), which aims to educate consumers about the benefits of electronics reuse and recycling and provides information on local, statewide, and federal recycling programs. Computer manufacturers Apple, Compaq, Dell, Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Intel are among the companies participating in the initiative, offering take back services for recycling and disposal of old products. For a complete listing, go to: www.eiae.org/members/index.cfm.

Wireless Communications companies Sprint, Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile all have recycling or buyback options.

For more industry take back programs, go to: www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/electronics/industry.htm or http://svtc.etoxics.org/site/PageServer?pagename=svtc_electronic_recycling.

There are several electronics retailers that sponsor recycling programs, such as Best Buy, Staples, and Office Depot. These retailers recycle batteries, cell phones, and inkjet and toner cartridges at in-store drop boxes. At Circuit City, you can redeem old electronics in exchange for store gift cards. Radio Shack recycles batteries and cell phones through its longstanding program with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.

Ebay’s Rethink Initiative (http://rethink.ebay.com/) teams up government and environmental organizations with several top electronics manufacturers and distributors to promote environmentally-friendly recycling and donation services.

Corporate Accountability

Due to the number of companies claiming to be “green” and offering recycling programs, it is hard to tell which companies truly are living up to their promised standards of sustainability, or merely creating good advertising. Thankfully, several non-profit organizations have begun to rate companies on their “greening” values and performance.

Earthwatch Institute (www.earthwatch.org) has built a partnership with corporations looking to improve their social and environmental responsibility. Earthwatch created the Corporate Environmental Responsibility Group (CERG) to raise awareness and engage companies in sustainability issues.

EPA provides useful information for businesses and consumers about product stewardship (www.epa.gov/epr/). The Agency voted Verizon Inc. the 2006 “Wastewise Very Large Business of the Year." In addition, the Plug-In To eCycling Campaign partners with several corporations to promote responsible electronics recycling. For more information, visit Plug-in Partners.

A program of the Green Electronics Council, EPEAT, the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (www.epeat.net), evaluates electronic products according to three tiers of environmental performance- bronze, silver, and gold. The complete set of performance criteria includes 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria in eight categories. To qualify for acceptance as an EPEAT product, it must conform to all of the required criteria.

Greenpeace has created a Green Electronics Guide.

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has created a Report Card to rate electronics manufacturers as part of a larger electronics purchasing guide.

As You Sow (www.asyousow.org) has led a coalition of shareholders to push computer makers on responsibility for product recovery and recycling, participating in concurrent dialogues with the four major U.S. computer manufacturers-Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. 

Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection has a Facts for Consumers page about green labeling.

CSR Wire (www.csrwire.com) members are companies and NGOs, agencies and organizations interested in communicating their corporate citizenship, sustainability, and socially responsible initiatives to a global audience through CSRwire's syndication network and weekly News Alerts. You can download company issued reports or buy independent research reports.

CorpWatch (www.corpwatch.org) is an organization dedicated to holding corporations accountable for violations or human rights, environmental crimes, fraud, and corruption. CorpWatch has an extensive selection of articles on e-waste issues.