Electronics TakeBack

Coalition
The electronic waste
crisis: An opportunity to
promote sustainable
consumption and
production
Presentation by Ted Smith
To
NCRA Recycling Update
April 1, 2008
 What’s the Problem?
• The electronics we buy don’t last very long
• Electronic equipment contains many toxic
materials
• More e-waste is thrown in the trash than
recycled
• Most recyclers export the products
to developing countries with no
worker safety or environmental protections
• Toxic components and poor design
make e-waste hard to recycle
Coalition’s Platform:

• Take it back
• Make it green
• Recycle responsibly
Strategy: Leaders and Laggards
• Hold up one
company as
industry leader
• pressure the
“laggards” to
measure up
 Accomplishments: Dell Campaign
Moving Dell Computer from
Recycling Laggard to
Leader
– Campaign targeted Dell in
2002
– Dell had no consumer
takeback program
– Campus campaigning
begins with report release:
“Dude, Why Won’t They
Take Back My Old Dell?”
– Launch of Toxic Dude
website
Prison Chain Gang at CES 2003

Jan 2003 Las Vegas:

Prison chain gang at Consumer Electronics Show
where Michael Dell is keynote speaker. Dell had
been using prison labor for recycling.
E-Waste Fashion Show at Susan
Dell’s Dress Boutique
Dell Announces Free Takeback in 2004

Power of protest felt by Dell August 9, 2004

Environmental groups used low-tech campaign to get

computer maker's attention on recycling
By Dan Zehr
It only took a few thousand letters and a set of prison uniforms.

When a small band of environmental groups first set its sights on Dell Inc. in May 2002, the
world's No. 1 producer of personal computers had little interest in expanding the recycling
programs for the PCs it sold…

"At first they did ignore us," said Eleanor Whitmore, who worked for the Texas Campaign for
the Environment in Austin before moving to its Arlington office. "But if you're a company,
and you're concerned about profit, and you have 6,000 letters coming in from customers and
shareholders, it really starts to add up after a while…"
 Dell is now the takeback leader
• October 2006: Dell will “…We're on track to recover more
take back any product than 275 million pounds of used
computer equipment for
with Dell’s name on it customers by 2009. And today, I
• Michael Dell’s keynote at challenge every PC vendor in
CES challenged other the entire industry to join us in
CEOs to follow their lead providing free recycling…”
on takeback.
Michael Dell, Jan 9, 2007
CES Keynote address
Apple Shareholder Meeting 2005

Dancing iPods
 Computer Company Takeback
Programs
Completely Free Takeback Program Dell

Sometimes Free HP
(Free to some users, or for some products)
Apple

Asus (laptops only)

Toshiba (laptops only)

Offers Takeback Program but Consumers Must Pay Gateway

Lenovo
Viewsonic (must buy extended warranty )

No Ongoing Takeback Program Acer

NEC
 Strategy: Get EPR legislation
passed in States
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
cutting edge of product stewardship in US
• Goals of EPR –
– Increase responsible recycling
– Motivate green design changes
 Ten states (plus NY City)
Alaska
have passed producer
takeback legislation
Washington
Maine
Montana North Dakota Vermont
States with Minnesota
Oregon
producer Idaho New Hampshire
responsibility South Dakota Wisconsin New York Massachusetts
e-waste laws Wyoming Michigan Rhode Island
Connecticut
Iowa PennsylvaniaNew Jersey
Nevada Nebraska
Ohio Delaware
Utah IllinoisIndiana
West Maryland
States with California Colorado Virginia
Kansas Virginia
ARF (consumer Missouri Kentucky
fee) e-waste North
Carolina
laws Tennessee
Arizona Oklahoma Arkansas South
New Mexico Carolina
Mississippi
AlabamaGeorgia

Hawaii Texas
Louisiana
Florida
 Organizational Changes
• Transition from Computer TakeBack Campaign to
Electronics TakeBack Coalition
• “Partner” Organizations:
– Basel Action Network
– Center for Environmental Health
– Clean Production Action
– Clean Water Action – New England
– Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
– Texas Campaign for the Environment

• 2008: Coalition outreach to formalize “Member”

organizations
• Transition from SVTC to Sponsored Project of Tides
Center
 Take Back My TV Campaign
Strategy - Leverage the Digital Digital conversion is the
Conversion to: largest government
mandated planned
• Push big part of electronics obsolescence surge in
industry (TV companies) to do history.
voluntary takeback
• Discredit TV companies who
lobby against EPR
• Educate on how new
technologies force
unsustainably practices
(throw-away electronics)
TV Company Takeback Programs Today
TV Companies with Free Sony
Takeback Program
No Ongoing Takeback Program Funai
Hitachi *
JVC *
LG (also owns
Zenith)
Mitsubishi *
Panasonic *
Philips *
Pioneer *
Samsung
Sanyo *
Sharp *
Thomson
*(owns GE, RCA)
Toshiba *
Vizio
* Denotes company that lobbies against state legislation promoting producer takeback
programs.
 TV Targets for 2008-2009
• Leader:
– Sony. Launched program in Sept 2007
• Fence Sitters – Currently in dialogue (easiest to move):
– Samsung (#1 seller in the US)
– LG (owns Zenith) – expected to launch program soon
• Laggards: Panasonic, Sharp, Philips (unlikely to move)
• Next round for dialogue:
– Vizio (#2 seller in the US)
– Toshiba (does computer takeback)
– Funai (#5 seller in the US)
• Retailers – Best Buy
 Getting Samsung to the Table
• After several attempts to start a
“dialogue” with Samsung, our
Superbowl online action plus a
protest outside a Samsung plant in
Texas got Samsung talking to us.
Samsung sells the most TVs in
the US.
Focus on the Digital Conversion
The media attention on the
upcoming digital conversion
helps us get the e-waste
tsunami into the story.
On the 1-year countdown, the
“Dead TVs Walking” did media
“actions” in Dallas, Austin, Ann
Arbor, Cincinnati, and Denver.

Got National TV coverage on

Keith Olberman “Countdown”
show on MSNBC.
 Manufacturers Commitment to
Responsible Recycling
• Manufacturers agree to:
– No dumping e-waste in developing countries
– No prison labor
– No landfill/incineration
• Gets manufacturers on public record in
support of high standards
• Sony has signed the Commitment
 Make it Binding: Legislation
Alaska

Washington
Maine
Montana North Dakota Vermont
Oregon Minnesota
Idaho New Hampshire
South Dakota Wisconsin New York Massachusetts
Wyoming Michigan Rhode Island
Connecticut
Iowa PennsylvaniaNew Jersey
Nevada Nebraska
Ohio
Utah IllinoisIndiana Delaware
West Maryland
California Colorado Virginia
Kansas Virginia
Missouri Kentucky
North
Carolina
Tennessee
Arizona Oklahoma Arkansas South
New Mexico Carolina
Mississippi States with Bills Under
AlabamaGeorgia Consideration for 2008

Hawaii Texas Producer

Louisiana responsibility bills
Florida
ARF bills under
States Which Have Passed
consideration
E-Waste Laws
Both producer
Producer
resp. and ARF
responsibility laws
bills in play
ARF (Consumer
fee) laws
Electronics TakeBack Coalition 3/20/08
TV Coalition giving up on ARF
Quote from Panasonic’s lobbyist and head of
the TV ARF coalition:

"The policy debate [over e-recycling] has been

largely finalized," says David Thompson….And
the cost of recycling is going to be internalized
by manufacturers into the cost of the product."

Business Week, March 17, 2008,

“E-Waste: Whose Problem Is It?”
 Legislative Focus: Goals and
Timetables
• Current fight in state
bills: Enforceable
goals and timetables
for the manufacturers
that drive more
recycling and real
producer
responsibility.
 Federal E-Waste Legislation
• Passing federal
legislation to close the
door on e-waste export
• State bills can’t address
export problem
• Stopping a weak federal
takeback bill
GAO Report on E-Waste Export
At our urging, Congressman Lantos
requested that the GAO conduct a
report on e-waste export, which will
be released in Fall 2008.
US Government
Accountability
Office
This report will set the stage for
federal legislation in 2009 on this
issue.
 Make It Green
Expanding our materials agenda to
include a broader “Green Engineering”
agenda for sustainability, that adopts
whole product lifecycle approach,
including:
• Design for durability, upgradeability,
reparability
• Design for recyclability – both physical
design and material selection
• Design for carbon neutrality
Confronting the throw-away culture
Dead Gadgets Gallery
Start by documenting problem of disposable
electronics:
• Develop case studies
• Dead gadget stories (www.deadgadgets.com )
 Recycle Responsibly
• Manufacturers Commitment (Get companies to agree to
high road)
• Expand the Recyclers Pledge Program
• Develop auditable recycler standards and certification
program – Basel Action Network
• Local Government guide to responsible recycling
 Campaign Components
Pass Producer Pressure Close the door on Promote Green Increase
Takeback companies to do exporting to poor design, including responsible
Legislation in the voluntary takeback countries design for recycling recycling, drive
States and for longevity down low road
recycling
Primary campaign efforts
Pass takeback bills Market campaigning: Manufacturers Pledge Research toxicity of Expand the Pledge
in states to not export new TV technology program
On-line activism
Earned & paid media
Shareholders
Stop weak federal Retailers – take back GAO Report Release Analysis: Disposable Turn Pledge into
takeback bill own, and act as electronics auditable standards
collection sites
Develop model state Institutional Expose EPA Role in Promote Green Develop recycler
regulations esp. on purchasing pressure promoting export Engineering certification program
recycling standards principles with OEMs (Basel Action
Network)
Get Tech Product Federal legislation on Push EPEAT to be a Promote certification
reviewers to show export real “Green Label” program
whether Takeback is (not greenwashing)
provided
 Digital Deadline Shareholder
Pressure on Retailers

• Shareholder proposal for 2008 at Best Buy to

pressure company to move on in-store take
back
• Negotiating with Best Buy to experiment with
take back pilot projects in its stores
• Get Best Buy to use leverage with TV brands;
also dialogue with Sony, LG, other brands
 Contact info
Electronics TakeBack Coalition
www.electronicstakeback.com
Ted Smith, Chair
tsmith@igc.org
408-287-6707

Barbara Kyle, National Coordinator

bkyle@etakeback.org
415-206-9595