Sony has partnered with US company Waste Management to provide customers with an easy and cost-free recycling circuit for Sony products, which will be gradually expanded across the nation in the following year.
The project, dubbed Sony Take Back Recycling Program, is aimed at “encouraging consumers to recycle and dispose of electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner” and it will give US customers the opportunity to recycle Sony-branded products without any costs.
Sony’s partner is WM Recycle America, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc. The recycling program will debut on September 15, but will include for the beginning only 75 WM Recycle America eCycling drop-off centers in the US, with more to follow next year. Actually, Sony promises more than 150 new drop-off locations by the end of 2008, at least one in every state, through Waste Management’s local partners or WM’s own centers. Moreover, ambitious plans from both sides envision at least one eCycling site within 20 miles of 95% of the US population, meaning that each of the 50 states should get at least 4-5 recycling plants.
According to Sony, this is the first national recycling initiative in the U.S. to involve both a major electronics manufacturer and a national waste management company. Customers will also be able to send products that belong to other manufacturers than Sony, but those products are subjected to “market prices, and may include a recycling fee for some types of materials.” Sony also stated that shipping company’s used products to select WM Recycle America locations (mainly in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin) is also an option, but not for free. Apple, for example, offers free FedEx shipping in the US for used products.
The Japanese electronics manufacturer said that Take Back Recycling Program is part of the company’s broader global commitment to environmental stewardship, which spans product design, recycling, facilities management and energy conservation across all categories.
"Providing the highest level of service and support doesn't stop once a purchase is made. We believe it is Sony's responsibility to provide customers with end-of-life solutions for all the products we manufacture," said Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics. "Through the Take Back Recycling Program, our customers will know that their Sony products will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner."
Glasgow added that Sony’s goal is to create a perfect equilibrium between every pound of new products sold and every pound of old consumer electronics equipment recycled, by “making the recycling of Sony products easy and convenient.”
"People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste responsibly and economically," said Patrick DeRueda, president of WM Recycle America. "This program serves consumers' needs by offering a convenient and cost-effective waste management solution, while demonstrating our shared commitment to providing outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship."
"People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste responsibly and economically," said Patrick DeRueda, president of WM Recycle America. "This program serves consumers' needs by offering a convenient and cost-effective waste management solution, while demonstrating our shared commitment to providing outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship."
Sony also quoted a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2005, according to which out of the 1.9 to 2.2 million tons of used or unwanted electronics produced that year, only 345,000 to 379,000 tons were recycled, with the rest of 1.5 to 1.9 million tons being primarily discarded in landfills.
According to the press statement, “by recycling old electronics products, useful materials -- such as glass, plastic and metals - can be collected and re-used in the manufacture of other products. Recycling not only minimizes the amount of waste disposed, it also minimizes the extraction of new raw materials from the earth and resources required for processing, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases in the process.”
Last year in August, Greenpeace’s ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’ put Sony in the 6th place, after Nokia, Dell, HP, SonyEricsson and Samsung, in a top of environment-friendly companies. Greenpeace said that “despite having some models without the worst chemicals, Sony has yet to provide timelines for substituting toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) for key applications.”
