Philips embraces producer responsibility.
In India, Philips is now offering its voluntary recycling
service through free take-back programme in 8 cities. Philips also
endorses ongoing law making process on e-waste management in
India.
Greenpeace had been calling on Philips since 2007 to stop
actively opposing laws that would oblige electronics producers to
accept financial responsibility for the recycling of their own
products (1). After several Greenpeace actions in different
countries including India and 47,000 public messages, the company
has finally changed its stance.
"We appreciate Philips' willingness to take full financial
responsibility of its products." said Abhishek Pratap, Greenpeace
India Toxic Campaigner. "This is a right step towards realization
of a "producer responsibility" regime in India."
Previously, Philips had promoted the addition of a fixed charge
on top of the product price, passing the responsibility and costs
of recycling directly to the consumer. However, these fixed charges
are misleading, since actual costs are influenced by the amount of
toxic chemicals present in products and how easy it is to recycle
them. If producers are really paying for the collection and
recycling of their own products, they have the added incentive to
develop cleaner, more recyclable products that will reduce
recycling costs. Individual producer responsibility integrating
environmental cost in the product price is crucial to the greener
development of the electronics industry.
Philips has already launched a pilot take-back service for its
own-brand products through 27 collection centers in eight cities
across India. (2) Philips intends to set up a global take back
system. However, the company still has to commit to an
implementation time frame.
"Philips' commitment to a financially sensible recycling policy,
together with the simple step of taking back its obsolete products
and recycling them properly everywhere, is likely to substantially
improve Philips' ranking in the next Guide to Greener Electronics,"
said Martin Besieux, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner.
"However, we want to see Philips maintain a leading role by helping
to ensure future legislation on e-waste continues to ensure
Individual Producer Responsibility and fully integrates
environmental costs into product prices."
Following an international expose of the illegal export of
e-waste from Western countries to Africa last week (2), Greenpeace
will continue to pressure other companies to follow Philips' lead,
and embrace producer responsibility.
Contact information
Abhishek Pratap, Greenpeace India Toxic Campaigner, Tel- +91-9845610749
Saumya Pritathy, Greenpeace India Communications, Tel- +91-934362212
Martin Besieux, Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner, Tel: +32496161585
Greenpeace International Press Desk, Tel: +31 20718 2470 
For further information, contact
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up
Notes to Editor
1. Greenpeace is calling for all electronics companies to support and implement the continued use of the principle of Individual Producer Responsibility in legislation on managing e-waste.
2. Information regarding Philips pilot Take-back programme in India is available at http://www.bangalore.philips.com/html/Electronic_Reuse.html
3. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/photosvideos/greenpeace-photo-essays/following-the-e-waste-trail