Sharp, Toshiba and Panasonic Further Green Efforts with Recycling Program in U.S.

Rising energy costs, a renewed consumer interest in environmental conservation, new laws being put in place for proper e-waste disposal, and President-Elect Barack Obama’s proposed plan to invest in renewable energy projects to boost the U.S. economy, are motivating everyone to focus on bolstering their "green" efforts.

 

PC World reported today that the three most well known consumer electronics brands, Sharp, Toshiba and Panasonic are doing their part to become more eco-friendly with the launch of a nationwide recycling program.

 

Thanks to the companies’ “green” endeavor, U.S. consumers can now return their old technology gadgets at no cost for recycling.

 

Sharp, Toshiba (News - Alert) and Panasonic kicked off the program last week through their joint company, Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Co. (MRM). The program provides 280 collection points throughout the U.S., with most states having at least two drop-off points. But in some states, including North Dakota, Wyoming and Virginia, there is only one drop-off station.

 

"We have plans to grow this collection network overtime and we'll go from 280 to 400 to 600 to 800, that's our goal at this point in time," said David Thompson, president of MRM, in an interview.

 

The expansion plan intends to have 400 collection points open by the end of 2009, rising to 800 by the end of 2011, Thompson said.

 

To participate, consumers just drop-off their old televisions, VCRs, computers, laptops, MP3 players, cell phones and other consumer electronics products produced by the three partners for free. Many of the centers will take products produced by other manufacturers, but they may charge for some products. That typically depends on if the state has a recycling law and if a manufacturer has contracted with MRM to handle its products.

 

"We're also establishing MRM as a collaborative platform where manufacturers can hopefully come together and share the cost of collection infrastructure and once we do that and minimize that cost or minimize that cost we'll have an opportunity to expand the network even greater," Thompson added.

 

MRM is also committed to properly recycling and will not use prison labor or send products overseas.

 

Federal Prison Industries (Unicor) is currently promoting its services as a recycler for electronics companies, but is receiving criticism from environmental groups which believe that prisoners are not provided enough protection from toxic substances that might be within products.

 

In an effort to highlight the dangers of shipping waste overseas, environmentalist group Greenpeace recently posted dramatic photos and video footage from recycling areas in China and India. In some cities, workers take electronics products apart by hand and burn semiconductors and components on open flames to save valuable materials inside. When they do this, they become susceptible to toxic chemicals that are released into the air or left to drain into the soil and will eventually pollute ground water supplies.

 

Toshiba recently received "green" ratings by Greenpeace during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES (News - Alert)) in Las Vegas for producing eco-friendly laptops.

 

Greenpeace’s periodic report acknowledges manufacturers' efforts to practice environmentally responsible practices, but the results are evidence that tech vendors have a lot more they need to do.

 

With Lenovo's L2440x computer monitor was rated “greenest,” it only earned a score of 6.9 out of 10, while Toshiba's Portege R600 received a score of 5.57 out of 10.

 

"Toshiba is making green efforts part of its larger vision," said Craig Hershberg, director of environmental affairs for Toshiba America. Strict regulations in Japan initiated the company's early efforts, but Toshiba has worldwide goals for both its product designs and its business operations.

 

The company recently launched a tree-planting program in wildfire-damaged areas of Southern California in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint.

 

"We consider the eco issues in any product, not just PCs or consumer electronics," Hershberg explained.