For years environmentalists have criticized the electronics industry for the amount of waste and toxic materials it introduces into he environment. But recent announcements show that the industry may finally be reacting to the sea change of public opinion that seems to be driving green initiatives in industries across the board.
Ahead of next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, three major electronic manufacturers have announced the formation of a recycling company created to meet the increasing demand for electronic waste management.
The Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company LLC is a joint venture between Panasonic Corporation of North America, Sharp Electronic Corporation and Toshiba America Consumer Products.
The company was formed in response to Minnesota legislation requiring electronics makers to recycle their products at the end of their lives, but it says it intends to expand its services beyond Minnesota and will contract with other manufacturers to provide recycling services.
Last September, Sony announced a nationwide recycling program to take back not only its own products but those of other manufacturers as well.
In addition, recycling company ReCellular announced that it collected six million used mobile phones in 2007–a new record according to the company.
ReCellular says it processed 6,034.771 used cell phones, refurbishing or recycling them at facilities in Michigan, Texas, Hong Kong and Brazil, while raising more than $20 million for charities and nonprofit organizations.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also announced today that it will launch a new public awareness campaign aimed at convincing consumers that it is simply to recycle the more than 150 million cell phones it estimates are taken out of service each year. The $175,000 campaign will be called "Recycle Your Cellphone. It’s an Easy Call" and will focus on public service announcements, particularly in lifestyle and technology magazines read by 18- to 34-year-olds.
Environmentalists believe that recycling is only part of the answer for the electronics industy. Keeping electronics out of landfills is important, because they take hundreds–if not thousands–of years to decompose and threaten ground water. But in addition, green activists blame the electronics industry for vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions they say are emitted through the manufacturing and distribution process of these high-demand and short-lived consumer products.
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