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Providing Environmental Leadership on Recycling and Materials Use

TechNet and our members companies are committed to using materials more efficiently, finding safe alternatives for materials of concern, and promoting the reuse and responsible recycling of used products. Taking this product life-cycle approach enables our companies and their customers to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner.

To meet and surpass international health, safety and environmental regulations and standards, our companies will continue to participate in the development of global standards, like the Joint Industry Guide, for the restriction of materials of concern. We believe harmonized global standards create the greatest opportunity for consistency across all jurisdictions, a high level of global protection and a level international playing field.

The phenomenal growth in the use of electronic products has generated enormous prosperity and quality of life - and also the problem of what to do with these products at the end of their useful lives. TechNet and our member companies are committed to robust environmental protection and we embrace the principle that manufacturers share in the responsibility for the proper recycling and disposal of these products. Our companies have established programs to recycle tens of millions of pounds of old computers annually, and the technology sector continues to innovate in developing ways to recycle more efficiently, incorporate product designs that minimize the use of materials of concerns and promote reuse and recyclability.

Electronics Recycling. Because the markets for electronics and recycled products are national in scope, TechNet supports national legislation to avoid a patchwork of differing state programs, based on the following principles, recognizing that states are taking the lead in this area, and that state programs based on these same principles are essential to protecting the environment and strengthening our economic growth.

• E-waste recycling programs must be designed to achieve resource conservation objectives by promoting reuse and providing households with free and convenient recycling of electronics products that have reached the end of their useful lives;
• Manufacturers should assume responsibility for promoting the reuse and responsible recycling of their own brand of used products in the most effective and efficient manner to provide household consumers with free and convenient disposal of these products;
• Recycling programs should be financed by manufacturers, allow manufacturers the flexibility to meet their obligations to their customers, and structured so as to encourage maximum innovation - making programs as effective as possible, lowering costs of recycling, creating incentives to reduce the use of materials of concern and ultimately rewarding manufacturers who design to promote recyclability.
• Solutions should avoid taxes or fees that lock in costs and discourage innovation and that are often diverted to uses other than recycling.

Materials Use. TechNet supports laws to protect human health and the environment from materials of concern like lead and other toxic materials. We are concerned, however, that state-by-state restrictions may pose an enormous potential burden on commerce while delivering few, if any, environmental benefits.

Many of the recent concerns have focused on paints and other surfaces with the potential for direct exposure to children. The technology industry works continuously to reduce it use of materials of concern and to look for the safest alternatives that can deliver the needed performance. In the case of electronics, any materials of concern are located inside the products, where the chance of exposure to sensitive groups like children is very low.

The technology industry complies with the European RoHS directive, which establishes strict limitations on the use of materials of concern. We are proud of our record in complying with - and often exceeding - these strong international standards.