Computer Industry Faulted for Slow Progress
on Sustainability
Survey Rates Environmental Performance
by Dave Bell
Computer manufacturers need pressure from government and the public to take responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products, according to a coalition of environmental groups. In its just-released annual Computer Report Card, the Computer TakeBack Campaign (CTBC) acknowledged some progress, but faulted the industry for failing to take more initiative in the United States, which has yet to develop a national policy.
"Laws and regulations, along with public pressure, have pushed companies to clean up their processes, protect workers, and take responsibility for the final disposal of their products," according to CTBC. "Where countries have enacted environmental regulations, such as…in Europe and…Japan, the computer industry has responded by developing sustainable products, accepting their responsibility throughout those products' lifecycles, encouraging reuse of materials, and working toward environmentally sound disposal."
CTBC charged that international companies alter their practices according to national and regional regulations, offering take-back programs and supporting recycling efforts where required or pressured to do so. "As a result, double standards exist between countries, as well as within companies."
Since the United States has no national policy or regulations requiring computer take-back or recycling programs, "most companies have not taken the initiative to implement permanent policies" as they have in the European Union and Japan, according to the report. "This inaction, coupled with the failure to pass crucial legislation, has allowed the computer industry to resist addressing" issues such as the amount of hazardous materials in their products and the growing volume of discarded equipment.
"In Europe, computer companies, activists, and government are implementing a system based on producer take-back of all discarded equipment," said David Wood, program director of the Grassroots Recycling Network. "We want those same computer companies selling here in the U.S. to treat American consumers at least as well as they treat Europeans. The double standard has got to go."
Manufacturers Rated
The Computer Report Card rated 28 manufacturers in four areas of environmental performance: Use of hazardous materials, take-back programs for used and obsolete equipment, worker health and safety, and ease of access to information about their environmental policies on company web sites. Fujitsu scored top marks in the survey, followed by Canon, IBM, and NEC. Among U.S. companies, Apple and Hewlett-Packard/Compaq ranked ninth and eleventh, respectively.
Apple, Brother, Dell, Hewlett Packard/Compaq, and IBM were among the 11 companies CTBC credited with "doing more to implement extended producer responsibility and improve the environmental attributes of their products" than indicated on their web sites. Had they reported all of their efforts, they would have scored higher in the survey. CTBC noted that many companies are reluctant to publish environmental targets in case they fail to meet them.
CTBC urged computer manufacturers to provide:
"Finally, as part of extended producer responsibility, producers need to take the lead on environmental and safety issues, especially in regions that do not have the types of regulations found in Japan and the EU. Infrastructure needs to be built, products need to be made safe, laws need to be passed, and workers need to be protected. Computer companies comprise the most creative and innovative industry in history and must channel their energy toward clean and sustainable production."
The Computer TakeBack Campaign is a national coalition of organizations that promote clean production and extended producer responsibility that requires companies to take "full financial and physical responsibility" for their products through end of life.
Read the full report here.