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Global environmental issues are hotter than ever - pun intended - and politicians, public companies, corporate boards and savvy small businesses are all clamouring to demonstrate their commitment. When they succeed, customers, voters, employees and compliance officers are all impressed, creating business benefits the IT industry cottoned onto long ago.
While the question of where old computers go to die always depends on who owns them, most major IT vendors offer free recycling programmes and customer education detailing the best environmental practices for technology use and ownership. Smart workplaces that access or follow these programmes can find themselves gaining 'green credibility' without spending a cent. Hardware recycling is a considerable expense for IT companies when you consider the extent to which a PC, monitor, printer or phone can be stripped down.
For environmental reasons, IT devices are no longer simply dumped, crushed or burned - the definition of 'recycle' for too many Kiwi consumers - but actually dismantled, reused and even resold. Jeff Healey, corporate marketing manager for HP, says HP's international 'Planet Partners' programme aims to have zero recycled HP products clogging up landfill and instead requires HP hardware and consumables to be intricately dismantled and re-packaged by expert IT recyclers. This means metal, like copper, ends up back on the market, as do most plastic and glass products.
HP's local recycling programme is called its 'Take Back' programme, and it is working with government organisations to see if this can be extended to consumers and schools. (At present, the maximum weight per 'Take Back' box of HP hardware is 30kg including packaging and the service is available only to business customers.) Healey says IT customers expect to be offered a hardware recycling service by their supplier along with an assurance that only hardware will be recycled, not any data still residing within it.
"We first ensure all computer data is erased from the hardware and lots of customers want certification of that. Then we recycle in regions, and most hardware components can be recycled or refurbished," says Healey.
HP's largest PC competitor Dell Computer also picks up PCs, printers, laptops and other Dell hardware from business customers and recycles them for free. Dell says recycled hardware may be able to be resold and if so, Dell will pass that income back to the customer. Dell recycles other-brand hardware too for new Dell customers, and in New Zealand even non-Dell customers can use the service if they pay $36 per desktop PC and $23 per laptop.
Generally, the larger and more multi-national an IT brand, the more likely it is to have a comprehensive recycling policy and programme.
IBM moved from 'Big Blue' to shades of green years ago with a dedicated environmental manager for Australia and New Zealand and an annual environment impact report that can be accessed from its website. IBM New Zealand spokesperson Daniel Herd says IBM's environmental programmes include a series of 'green office' initiatives such as recycling stations and encouraging practices like double-sided printing internally and among customers. Other focus areas include chemicals management (such as printer consumables), waste minimisation and management, greenhouse gas abatement, and scrap management and recycling.
IBM is committed to environmental leadership in all its business activities, says Herd, from internal operations to the way products are designed and technology is used. This means IT products are not only easy to recycle but constructed from reusable and biodegradable materials in the first place. This is a holistic approach most major hardware makers have adopted for compliance, marketing or conscientious reasons - or all three.
Whatever the motivation, the environmental gains can be compelling. Laptop maker Toshiba, which partners with technology recycle specialists MRI in Australia, says it has achieved a 96 per cent recycle rate there and since 2004 6863kg of Toshiba Australia mixed product has been recycled and diverted from landfill (from a total of 7174 kilograms.) Toshiba also has a programme that makes it easy for customers to pass on still-working but outdated laptops to local community groups and charities by first refurbishing them through repair centres at no cost.
In general, global environmental groups applaud the recycling efforts of IT organisations whilst maintaining there's always room for improvement. They encourage businesses and consumers to buy technology only from suppliers with comprehensive environmental policies and recycling programmes. Those that meet these expectations tend to market and promote the fact, making them easy to identify - and be inspired by.
