The Electronic Waste journal will periodically interview dynamic personalities, businesses and organizations making news in the electronics waste management industry. Anna Gonzales, a staff writer with the E-waste journal interviewed E-waste journal Publisher and Program Director of the International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo, Mr Ismail Oyekan in Los Angeles, California. Here are some excerpts from the conversation:
E-waste Journal: Ismail, thank you for your time. Now moving ahead, what is the International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo?
Ismail: The International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo (IERCE) is an annual informative and networking event for individuals, environmental organizations or any business involved in electronics waste management. In October 2009, we held our first event in Los Angeles California and had a follow up event last year in San Francisco. More than a thousand people from over 20 nations attended both events . What’s impressive is we are just getting started. I believe this demonstrates that we are in a fast emerging industry where businesses cherish the opportunity to network, learn and display their products and services. That is also the motivation behind the launch of our new magazine; electronic waste journal.
E-waste Journal: What is the climate of the electronics waste management industry?
Ismail: The electronics waste management industry is a derivative of the $52 billion dollar waste industry. As we all grow more dependent on computers, cellular phones and information technology assets we will certainly generate more e-waste. Electronic waste is now the fastest growing waste stream in developed nations and the issue of electronic waste containing toxins and been dumped in nations where there are no facilities to process this waste stream is well documented. More than 20 states have now introduced some form of legislature to combat e-waste. National laws are in development and more businesses are realizing the social and environmental benefits of proper e-waste management. There are more players in this rather new industry and the industry itself is introducing new standards. Also commodities such as copper, silver and gold are rising in value which is a contributing factor to the increase in the rates of recycled electronic waste.
E-waste Journal: Is the United States behind Europe when it comes to electronics waste management?
Ismail: When you look at the technology, legislature and recycling activity, I’m afraid the answer is “yes”, the Unites States is behind. However, I believe the tide is changing and the public, business sector, government and academia are more interested in sustainability here than say 5 years ago. The “green revolution” is not a fad or a trend. More municipalities, telecom service providers and electronics manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint & save costs. In return, OEM manufacturers are using less resources and toxins such as lead and mercury in the design of their products. More electronics manufacturers, retailers and end users are also taking responsibility for the proper disposal of their surplus, defective & end of life electronics assets. There is a growing awareness & more publicity about the environmental impacts of e-waste thanks to NGO’s like Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition’s investigative reports. These are all positive trends.
E-waste Journal: Tell us about the new standards been introduced to electronics recyclers?
Ismail: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other stakeholders introduced a new standard called the R2 and a Seattle based environmental watchdog group, Basel Action Network (BAN) also recently introduced a competiting standard known as the e-stewards program. These new standards are much welcomed by the electronics recycling community, although there is a lot of misinformation and confusion about their differences. An “ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Certification” is the International standard but these newly introduced standards include export guidelines, safety and continuous reviews by 3rd party auditors to ensure compliance. I believe an ISO 14001, e-stewards or R2 certification, gives a recycler tremendous credibility, saves costs and is also a huge marketing advantage over competitors. Currently less than 25% of the approximate 700 electronic collectors and recyclers participating in the California SB-20/SB-50 program have any certification. This will change because the industry is becoming more regulated and certification which is currently voluntary will obviously become a necessity in the coming months and years. Our intent is to keep our readers informed on the certification process and newest developments.
E-waste Journal: How long is the ISO certification process and what are the costs and benefits?
Ismail: The costs are quite high, but the great news is we are developing relationships with the best consultants, registrars and auditors in the Industry which will result in savings of up to 70% for any interested electronics recycler or OEM manufacturer in regards to ISO:9001 & ISO:14001. The process will also take less time to achieve certification and produce a significant return on investment. The leaders in this industry are ISO:14001 certified. Any business entity with ISO certification, has more credibility and therefore will earn more business from municipalities, OEM manufacturers and large enterprises. Historically, in the event of a violation, regulators will fine you less if you have a documented environmental management system(ISO:14001) in place. Most importantly, the process is designed to save costs while minimizing the environmental impacts of your recycling process. More OEM manufacturers, large businesses and municipalities are requiring recycling vendors to attain certification as part of a green supply chain and transparent downstream processing, making certification a necessity. This trend is expected to continue and will become the norm within the e-waste management industry.
E-waste Journal: What is in the works for you? When is the next International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo (IERCE)?
Ismail: The 3rd IERCE event will be held, May 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. We are expecting more than 90 exhibitors and at least 800 participants. We will keep providing a much needed interactive platform for presentations and discussions by leaders and visionaries in this industry. Our last event had more than 40 speakers, 600 attendees and 65 exhibitors. Of course, we just launched our new publication, the electronic-waste journal which is a much needed educational and marketing platform for industry stakeholders. Thankfully, we are quite busy.
E-waste Journal: What new trends have you observed within the electronics waste management industry?
Ismail: I’ve been involved with electronics waste management in some capacity or form for the past decade. There are certainly more players now than a decade ago. The new standards are much needed and overall the industry is very receptive to certification and regulation. More electronics recyclers are investing in software and technology to improve their yields, increase worker safety and generally most electronics recyclers are making a rebound from the harsh economic climate a few years ago. Manufacturers are also taking more responsibility due to legislative requirements. More manufacturers are realizing the economic and environmental benefits in reusing what was previously considered end of life assets, so they are developing innovative take-back schemes. A great example is the wireless-handset industry. Many non-profits, schools and churches are now using e-waste collection as a unique fundraising tool. The industry is vibrant and booming and I’m extremely happy to be a witness and part of the growth.
E-waste Journal: What is the role of Government in electronics recycling?
Ismail: The Government plays a crucial role in the management of e-waste and recycling generally. Awareness and education are important as well as regulation and enforcement of recycling laws. The United States, should also reconsider signing the Basel Convention, a pledge which bans the export of electronics waste. At the same time we have to have practical laws in place that allow for the monitored exportation of valuable commodities to markets that have a strong demand for them without harming the environment. In California, New York and a growing number of states, legislation including the cell phone recycling act and the ban on dumping electronic waste have increased recycling activities while protecting the environment. The Obama administration should really consider introducing a nationwide ban on electronics waste dumping, like we have here in California. It saves the environment and creates thousands of green jobs.
E-waste Journal: What do you expect in the next few years?
Ismail: I expect electronics recycling rates and activities to keep rising domestically and globally. There will be more electronics waste, but hopefully there will be more electronics resellers, repair facilities and recyclers to prevent this waste stream from ending up in landfills. We also expect emerging markets & nations such as Nigeria, Pakistan, India and China to have more local recycling facilities. The United States and Europe export and dump most of our electronics waste in these nations that lack the facilities to process e-waste. In my opinion, this is the biggest challenge and opportunity for the industry. The volume of electronics waste generated internally in these developing nations are growing exponentially. They also need environmentally friendly solutions for the disposal of their retired, defective and obsolete e-waste. We also expect electronics manufacturers to design products that are more sustainable, use less toxins and are easier to recycle. It’s a work in progress, but I remain optimistic about us as an industry in reaching these goals.
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Collectors and recyclers of obsolete electronics have until January 1st to enroll with the state’s E-Waste Program created by a law passed by the General Assembly this year.
The new law specifies that only collectors and recyclers enrolled in the program can work with electronics manufacturers who will soon be responsible for collecting and recycling the devices they sell in the state of Indiana.
Makers of computer monitors, laptops, and televisions must register with the state by April 1, 2010. If they fail to do so they won’t be allowed to sell their products in Indiana. This is a similar scenario with the controversial scenario in the state of New York, which is currently in litigation between the state and several electronic manufacturer trade groups.
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Alfred Hambsch is the President of Canadian based electronic recycler GLOBAL ELECTRIC & ELECTRONICS PROCESSING (G.E.E.P). GEEP is currently one of the largest processors of electronic scrap in North America. In this webinar, Alfred discusses the Canadian electronic waste landscape and the methodologies his company has used to increase market share in North America including ISO certification at all locations and the utilization of technology. He also discusses GEEP’s expansion plans and the company’s vision. Here’s a link to Alfred’s presentation. Alfred Hambsch-GEEP VIDEOS COMING SOON!
]]>Developing nations are expected to triple their output of e-waste by 2010. The effect of booming economies and increased IT consumption all over the world makes electronic waste pile up in landfills or in private homes. Increasingly loud voices call for global harmonisation of e-waste legislation. The state of e-waste policies in Malaysia, Thailand and China reveal how different the same, global problem is tackled by different legislators.
Malaysia – no proper recycling
Malaysia is part of the Basel Convention treaty which restricts the export of hazardous waste from developed countries to developing countries. The Malaysian Association of Standards Users criticises that there is no proper recycling mechanism in place at the moment to encourage consumers to recycle or discard e-waste. Malaysian consumers recycle about five per cent of their e-waste. In Malaysia e-waste is categorised as scheduled wastes under the code SW 110, First Schedule, Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005. But this act does not deal with household waste. The Malaysian Government has not, despite a grand campaign, changed public behaviour in or attitudes to waste recycling.
Thai RoHS – voluntary marking
The new Thai standard on RoHS-conformity marking took effect in February 2009. The standard is voluntary and more of resemblance to a label than to legislation, which may help in marketing. The standard goes under the name ‘Electrical and electronic equipment that may contain hazardous substances: restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances.’ It covers equipment that falls within the scope of EU RoHS. Consumers recycle about half their discarded electronic goods.
China – introducing RoHS and WEEE but slow progress
China, the world’s largest user community for products like mobile phones, computers and TV sets, has introduced RoHS which is finally on its way to its second step with compulsory and specific product requirements. The country, which previously did not define waste comprehensively in the law, will introduce e-waste legislation from 2011. Electronic products must then contain information on toxic and harmful contents and recycling processing. This will also include recycling and processing requirements. ]]>
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]]>The first manufacturer to introduce Green design and manufacturing processes, D-Link announced it will favor companies that support Green practices and has issued energy-saving regulations to its suppliers based on government guidelines, including the following:
-- Environment Management - D-Link prefers suppliers that comply with
ISO14001 regulations and get ISO14001 certification within a certain period
of time, and reviews their performance regularly.
-- Hazardous Substance Management - D-Link started with those substances
restricted by EU legislation in electrical and electric equipment, then
added restricted hazardous substances from other regions. Suppliers have
been requested to help monitor compliance.
-- For Waste Control and Recycling - D-Link also included the EU WEEE
Directive 2002/96/EC (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive)
into its product management.
“Around the world, interest in protecting the environment and in purchasing Green products is becoming more and more popular,” said Tony Tsao, CEO and president, D-Link Corporation. “In 2005 D-Link recognized the importance of manufacturing energy-saving products using Green practices, and now is extending this initiative to its suppliers.”
D-Link is also committed to seeking greener designs and to convert its current supply chain to favor companies that support Green practices. D-Link Green™ combines these goals to include the following:
-- Hazardous Chemical Substance Management - D-Link requires vendors to
maintain strict standards and separates the environmental management
materials as Level A and Level B, to minimize or eliminate the use of
hazardous substances in its products.
-- Energy Efficiency - D-Link Green products include a number of
innovations to reduce energy consumption and implement special power-saving
features. D-Link is also an ENERGY STAR® partner for end-use products
incorporating single voltage external power supplies.
-- Recycling - D-Link implements the 3R concept in product development --
Recycle, Reuse and Recovery -- into package design to reduce excess
packaging.
For more information about D-Link’s Green Supply Chain Management Policy please visit:http://dlinkgreen.com/greensupplychainmanagement.asp.
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