Not only is this article, how shall we say - uncritical, it doesn't even
seem to be original. It reads just like one in a UK national paper some time
ago. This reported the findings albeit under a rather sensational headline,
but gave a reasonably well informed summary conclusion. I regarded it as
intending to be more US/big company bashing than an informed environmental
piece and dismissed it.
Regards
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: Leadfree [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Munie, Gregory
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 7:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [LF] EE Times UK Article
David
Thank you for bringing this to the forum's attention.
"Green" can be assessed in a variety of ways. At present there is
considerable effort to get an in-depth understanding of what the real
environmental costs of manufacturing are as opposed to judgments based on
perception alone. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this effort is not always
recognized by activist groups and politicians.
At IPC APEX 2003 (March 29th - April 2nd) there will be a series of reports
on in-depth life cycle analysis of the environmental impact of electronics
manufacturing and materials. These reports will be from companies with
extensive recycling programs, the EPA, and academia.
http://www.goapex.org
Hopefully this work will help to give the debate as to what's "green" better
scientific grounding.
Greg Munie
IPC APEX 2003 Conference Director
-----Original Message-----
From: David Suraski [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 11:34 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [LF] EE Times UK Article
Hi Everyone,
I thought that forum members might be interested in the following
article. I offer it without comment, endorsement, criticism, etc. Just
thought I'd put it out there.
Regards,
David Suraski
AIM
U.S. tech firms trail the world in efforts to make industry greener
By Stephanie Gordon
EE Times
13 January 2003 (5:01 p.m. GMT)
U.S. high tech companies are the worst globally for taking steps to
minimise the use of hazardous materials in electronic products and
encourage the use of greener materials and recycling, according to the
2002 Report Card from the Computer TakeBack Campaign (CTBC).
According to the report, the U.S. is now behind other countries in
developing solutions to curb the use of hazardous components in computer
manufacturing. The report states that countries that already have
legislation in place such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE) in Europe and the Appliance Recycling Law in Japan have
already gone some way in forcing manufacturers to reassess their
manufacturing processes and accept responsibility for products
throughout their lifecycle.
The Report Card highlights the concern of how American manufacturing
companies continue to conduct their businesses. Some companies stand
accused of continuing to export e-waste from the U.S. to developing
countries. The report also notes that some companies are dealing in
double standards regarding the takeback of certain products by offering
different takeback services depending on local regulations. The report
also underlines that there is currently uneven progress in reducing lead
in computer products and efforts to replace brominated flame retardants
(BFRs) and PVC with less toxic alternatives have been insufficient.
Of the 28 electronics manufacturers evaluated in the report, only
Fujitsu received a passing grade with a score of 35 (out of 68). The
report assessed companies in the areas of extended producer
responsibility (EPR), hazardous materials use, occupational health and
safety and ease of information access. At the bottom of the rankings, 16
companies including NEC, Gateway, Dell, Sharp and Philips failed the
test entirely. Three companies, Hitachi, Hewlett Packard/ Compaq and OKI
were given a 'poor' score and the report noted that those companies had
taken steps in the removal of lead from products.
Eight companies including Canon, IBM, Apple and Sony 'needed
improvement' and the report gave extra credit to Apple for describing
how its machines were disassembled for recycling and Sony was recognised
for describing its recycling policies.
The top three ranking companies were Fujitsu which the report said
"leads the computer industry in both environmental innovation and public
disclosure", Canon for mapping a future with less toxic products and IBM
for setting goals and deadlines to eliminate lead in its products.
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