The corporate responsibility portions of Nokia and Vodafone’s Websites are a good indicator of the importance that companies now place on their environmental image. These pages are full-color media extravaganzas. They offer flashy video content and links to notable environmental and humanitarian organizations.
Corporate responsibility covers everything from handset recycling programs to providing developing countries with access to mobile technologies. But is it all just image?
Maybe not, but it goes without saying that a green image is a good thing in the corporate world these days, whereas only a decade ago these kinds of considerations were secondary. “We’re suddenly under a magnifying glass,” said Marc Benowitz, director of Eco-Environmental Engineering in Alcatel-Lucent’s Chief Technology Officer division. “I can’t say why awareness has increased so quickly. There’s a number of factors, I’m sure. Or maybe it’s all Al Gore,” he jokes. “Either way, it’s a good thing, and the right thing.” But however altruistic the term “corporate responsibility” may sound, profitability is always the bottom line. Corporations are beginning to understand that profit and conscience are inextricably linked. So what are some of the solutions being implemented by those in the wireless industry?
E-WASTE MANAGEMENT
Recycling has become a PR nightmare for most consumer electronics manufacturers. Recent stories by National Geographic, as well as pressure from organizations like Greenpeace and Basal Action Network (BAN), highlight unscrupulous recycling contractors that dump e-waste on third-world countries. In September, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (USGAO) published a report stating that the “EPA needs to better control harmful U.S. exports through stronger enforcement and more comprehensive regulation.” BAN is a major leader in efforts to stop illegal exportation of e-waste. In fact, they’ve taken things into their own hands by joining with 32 major North American recyclers to create a certification program.
Carl Smith, CEO of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), is excited about the prospect of BAN’s new program. “As of right now,” said Smith, “we hire auditors to personally oversee the separation and recycling of the 200,000 cell phones we receive every year.” The batteries are removed from the phones and recycled for a number of different uses, including slag and the foundation for roads. Smith notes that 99% of almost any battery it receives can be recycled.
But it’s getting those batteries to the recycler that remains the key component to these efforts. “We have a continuing public education program,” Smith said, “as well as partnerships with major national retailers where people can drop off their old batteries and cell phones.”
Handset take-back programs are also being pushed by the industry. The EPA estimates that only 10% of the 1.5 million phones discarded annually are recycled. Most carriers offer a postage-paid mail-in program, with more and more retail drop points being added around the country. Even eBay has gotten in on the act, with its informative hub, Rethink. The site has teamed up with numerous manufacturers, as well as government agencies, and offers a portal to all kinds of resources related to recycling e-waste.
The low percentage of handsets being recycled could be because consumers have a hard time connecting their dead phone with abstract and overwhelming ideas like “protecting the environment.” Perhaps that’s why unique initiatives like Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine are succeeding. HopeLine has drop boxes in all of its Verizon retail locations. A portion of the phones are then refurbished and given to victims of domestic abuse, along with 250 minutes of airtime. “It brings the whole idea of recycling closer to home,” says Terri Stanton, spokeswoman for HopeLine.
