09/03/2006 - Hannover,
Germany — Electronics giant Hewlett Packard
has risen to the challenge we set them and
committed to a phase out plan for a range
of hazardous chemicals in its products.
Now we are at the consumer electronics industry's
biggest annual event to ask "who's
next?"
Which company will be following HP's lead
and taking the first step in tackling the
growing problem of toxic electronic waste
by committing to remove hazardous chemicals
from its products? HP joins big industry
names like Sony, Nokia, Samsung, LG and
Sony Ericsson who are leading the industry
by positive example on toxic chemicals.
Companies like Acer, Apple, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens,
IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Siemens and Toshiba
have so far failed to follow the industry
leaders.
HP's change of policy didn't happen overnight.
Back in 2003 we found that one of their
computers contained particularly high amounts
of a toxic chemical. Subsequently we confronted
HP with the reality of their lack of action
at their European headquarters, asked awkward
questions when the HP boss visited China
and finally turned up at their world headquarters
in California with a special message for
their staff. Thousands of concerned people
wrote to HP about its chemicals policy and
technology media covered the "Greenpeace
versus HP" showdown in full.
Which company, currently ignoring the issue
of toxic electronic waste, wants to be the
next focus of our campaign? We'll be laying
down that gauntlet to the remaining companies
while they are busy showing off their latest
offerings at the world's largest electronics
fair, CeBIT, in Hanover, Germany.
The electronics industry will be hard at
work promoting its ever faster, smaller
and smarter gadgets but it cannot continue
to ignore the dangerous explosion in electronic
scrap (e-waste) containing toxic chemicals
and heavy metals that cannot be disposed
of or recycled safely. These high-tech gadgets
often end up dumped in Asia and taken apart
by hand in primitive, highly polluting and
very definitely low-tech manner.
Clean it up and take it back!
By removing the toxic chemicals, companies
make it cleaner and easier to recycle their
products. Companies that take responsibility
for the whole lifecycle of their products
from cradle to grave ensure that their products
last longer and cause less pollution. Our
vision for the industry is one that produces
cleaner, longer lasting, more sustainable
products that don't contribute to the growing
tide of toxic, short lived products currently
being dumped in Asia.
Our toxics campaigner, Martin Hojsík
will be asking the electronics companies
where they stand on these issues at CeBit
and he has a suggestion for next years event;
"The motto for this years CeBit is
'digital solutions for work and life', we
want next years motto to be 'digital solutions
without pollution'!"
