EIAs Product Ecology Initiative

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EIAs Product Ecology Initiative

• Holly Evans
• Director of Environmental Affairs, EIA
• EPR2 Conference
• April 18, 2001

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Electronic Industries Alliance

• Trade association for more than 2300 member
  companies
• Represent entire product chain - from material
  suppliers, assemblers, to OEMs
• EIAs Environmental Issues Council represents
  industry on international, federal, and state
  environmental issues
• Electronics recycling is priority issue

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EIAs Product Ecology Program
Goal Reduce Environmental Impacts over Entire
Life Cycle!
Design for the Environment
Product Use
End-of-Life Management
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EIAs Product Ecology Program

• Design for the Environment
• EIAs DfE Compilation (http//www.eia.org//downloa
  d/eic/21/dfe-com1.pdf)
• EPAs Design for the Environment (DfE) Life Cycle
  Display Project
• Material Declaration Guide for supply chain
  disclosure recently finalized

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EIAs Product Ecology Program

• Use
• Partner in EPAs Energy Star Program, which sets
  stand-by power consumption specifications for
  VCRs, TVs, copiers, and set top box units
• Partner with World Resources Institute in project
  to promote telework arrangements
• New work will focus on role of electronic
  industrys potential to reduce greenhouse gas
  emissions

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EIAs Product Ecology Program

• End of Life Management
• Consumer Education Initiative web site
  (http//www.eiae.org) launched Feb. 01
• Participation in state recycling pilots
• Advocacy on state Universal Waste Rules
• Finalization of CRT glass industry survey of
  industrys ability to absorb old CRT glass
• Proposed national dialogue on electronic
  product stewardship

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EIAs Product Ecology Program

• Will promote end-of-life management solutions for
  used electronics
• Design changes will reduce recycling costs
  (design for disassembly, toxics reduction where
  feasible)
• End-of-life partnerships will increase volume of
  electronics being recycled, creating economies of
  scale

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Consumer Education Initiative

• Launched in February 2001 (www.eiae.org)
• Provides consumers with local reuse and recycling
  opportunities for used electronics
• Since launch, 15 major news articles have
  referenced site
• 15,000 weekly hits on average

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National Dialogue

• Stakeholders to include US EPA, States, Industry,
  Retailers, NGOs
• Meeting proposed for April 19th
• Goal Enhanced product stewardship for
  electronics in the United States
• Details are still being developed

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Conclusion

• Manufacturers are working individually and
  collectively to develop recycling programs for
  used electronics
• Work is still needed
• regulatory reform
• development of infrastructure
• end markets for recycled products
• Stakeholder dialogues will help address these
  shortcomings