A boy winces at the acrid smoke rising from the computer motherboards being melted over open fires in a electronics waste (e-waste) recycling yard in Delhi. Such open air burning of electronics parts to recover metals causes large exposure of workers and the environment to toxic pollution.
LG's commitment comes after we lifted the lid earlier this year
on many top brand electronics' companies poor performance in
removing toxic chemicals from their products and the mountains of
electronic waste (e-waste) that they generate.
After finding themselves exposed on the Internet at the bottom
of the e-waste pile, LG contacted Greenpeace to find out what they
had to improve. Soon after, they committed to eliminating hazardous
chemicals from their entire product range. If LG found it so easy
to make the commitment, and companies with more than half the
market share in mobile phones and a significant market share of
other consumer electronics making a similar commitment, why can't
the slackers at Dell, Apple or Acer do the same?
See which companies are in the current
hall of shame.
LG joins the growing list of environmental leaders like Sony
Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and Sony who have already made commitments
to eliminate the toxic chemicals in their products.
The commitments aren't just good for consumers who will be able
to buy electronic products that are less harmful to the environment
but also for the workers in the factories where the products are
made and the scrap yards where many of the products are dismantled
for recycling or disposal.
Damning report
The commitment from LG comes as we released a damning report on
the e-waste trade to China and India. Discarded electronic waste
from around the world is being shipped to developing countries in
the name of recycling but the reality is far less appealing. Heavy
metals like lead are finding their way into the environment and
even people's homes at much higher rates than normal levels.
Dr. Kevin Brigden, Greenpeace scientist, who collected the
samples of dust from workshops, as well as wastewater, soil and
sediment from local rivers concluded that, "The data reinforces the
need for the electronics industry to eliminate the use of harmful
substances in their products at the design stage and take
responsibility for their products at the end of their
lifecycle."
Now the momentum for companies to clean up their act in the
electronics industry is gathering pace it remains to be seen what
other brands will show environmental leadership. The industry also
needs to show it is serious about tackling the problem of e-waste
by taking back it products at the end of their lifecycle rather
than allowing poor countries to deal with toxic e-waste.
More information
See
how the companies line up. Includes contact links if you want
to contact the companies on this issue.
Learn more about the
problem of e-waste and the
solutions to the problem.
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