The Ministry for the Environment granted accreditation for the OEM’s product stewardship policy, which sees a large proportion of returned equipment and consumables re-used or recycled.
Xerox is the 13th company to receive the certification since the Waste Minimisation Act of 2008, iStart reported. The statute includes legislation for compulsory product stewardship, although Environment Minister Nick Smith said that voluntary compliance is preferable.
He stated: “When the Act was passed, we sought to encourage industry to take responsibility for the whole product lifecycle. While we could regulate and sometimes do, regulating complex businesses [such as those in the electronics industries] is a nightmare. Instead, we have laid down challenges and created incentives to minimise impact [on the environment].”
The minister commended Xerox for taking up the challenge and said its zero landfill scheme “demonstrates that it is achievable for global electronic corporates to voluntarily take responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products”, adding that making “environmental leadership” a part of the “culture of the company” is crucial.
Recycling specialist RCN E-Waste estimated that 80,000 tonnes of electronic waste is generated in New Zealand annually, accounting for two percent of the yearly landfill and 70 percent of toxic waste. Gavin Pollard, Managing Director of Xerox, said about toxic material staying out of landfills: “We calculate that over 1,200 tonnes of our equipment and consumables are diverted from landfill annually, including 99.5 percent of all returned printers, copiers, toner bottles, print cartridges, drums, rollers and fuser oil, and associated packaging.”
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