EPA recognizes electronics industry leaders for recycling, innovation achievements
EPA recognizes electronics industry leaders for recycling, innovation achievements
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized leading electronics manufacturers, retailers and brand owners for their contributions in designing products sustainably and diverting electronics from landfills by sending them to third-party certified recyclers as part of the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge.
The SMM Electronics Challenge encourages electronics manufacturers, brand owners and retailers to strive to send 100 percent of the used electronics they collect from the public, businesses and within their own organizations to third-party certified electronics refurbishers and recyclers, says EPA.
“Innovative industry leaders finding new, sustainable methods to reduce electronic waste are paving the way for the future of manufacturing,” says EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Through their efforts, our 2017 SMM Electronics Challenge winners exemplify the ability to promote economic growth while protecting human health and the environment.”
Leaders from Dell Inc. (Gold Tier); Samsung Electronics (Gold Tier); Staples Inc. (Gold Tier); Xerox (Gold Tier); Best Buy Co. Inc. (Silver Tier); LG Electronics USA Inc. (Silver Tier); Vizio Inc. (Silver Tier); and Sony Electronics Inc. (Bronze Tier) gathered at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Jan. 9-12 to celebrate their environmental achievements. This includes diverting more than 227,000 tons of used electronics from landfills in 2016. This is equivalent to saving the energy used by over 58,000 homes for one year, according to EPA.
EPA says it also honored LG, Staples and Samsung as the SMM Electronics Challenge Champion Award winners for exemplifying leadership and innovative processes and products that focus on environmentally responsible ways to best use a product’s materials throughout its entire life cycle.
Walter Alcorn, vice president for environmental affairs and industry sustainability at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the owner and organizer of CES, adds, “CTA is honored to host EPA at CES 2018 and recognize companies helping advance our industry’s commitment to sustainability. This year’s award winners demonstrate our industry’s focus on advancing sustainable operations to reduce e-waste and our industry’s overall environmental impact.”
Electronics are a global economic driver, says EPA, with supply chains that reach around the world and products that touch every part of people’s lives. Today’s electronics are made from valuable resources and highly engineered materials including precious metals, EPA says. If not properly managed at the end of their lifetime, some of the materials in electronics may pose a risk to human health and the environment.
- LG received the Product Award for their line of OLED TVs. Compared with LCD/LED TVs, LG eliminated the use of several hazardous materials, reduced its overall materials impact, and made these TVs easier to disassemble and recycle.
- Staples received the Non-Product Award in 2017 for its continued success with the “Make More Happen” initiative, an outreach and public education campaign that has provided information on Staples’ Technology Recycling Program to more than 6 million people.
- Samsung received the Cutting Edge Award for its development of the Galaxy Upcycle program, a program in which Samsung provides all the necessary resources and tools to “upcycle” an old Galaxy smartphone into a new product, such as a closed circuit TV or a desktop PC.
- Best Buy and Dell received Honorable Mentions in the Product and Cutting Edge Champion Award categories, respectively.
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Source: Recycling Today
EPA recognizes electronics industry leaders for recycling, innovation achievements
<![CDATA[The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized leading electronics manufacturers, retailers and brand owners for their contributions in designing products sustainably and diverting electronics from landfills by sending them to third-party certified recyclers as part of the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge. The SMM Electronics Challenge encourages electronics manufacturers, brand owners and retailers to strive to send 100 percent of the used electronics they collect from the public, businesses and within their own organizations to third-party certified electronics refurbishers and recyclers, says EPA. “Innovative industry leaders finding new, sustainable methods to reduce electronic waste are paving the way for the future of manufacturing,” says EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Through their efforts, our 2017 SMM Electronics Challenge winners exemplify the ability to promote economic growth while protecting human health and the environment.” Leaders from Dell Inc. (Gold Tier); Samsung Electronics (Gold Tier); Staples Inc. (Gold Tier); Xerox (Gold Tier); Best Buy Co. Inc. (Silver Tier); LG Electronics USA Inc. (Silver Tier); Vizio Inc. (Silver Tier); and Sony Electronics Inc. (Bronze Tier) gathered at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Jan. 9-12 to celebrate their environmental achievements. This includes diverting more than 227,000 tons of used electronics from…