The OEM has challenged the IT sector to become more responsible in electronics recycling.
In a press release with the Basel Action Network (BAN), HP Inc said that in the US’ e-waste centres, aging technology is not always “safely dismantled” or “re-used”, and according to BAN the recycling of e-waste often “involves a complex, multi-step supply chain”, with much of this done in the “developing world where e-waste is exported for treatment”.
BAN said that this can “lead to unsafe labour and environmental conditions”, and is potentially harmful to workers and their environment, and suggested that there is a need for more transparency “in electronics recycling supply chains”. HP Inc’s own commitment to responsible recycling has been established over the years, and it has “disclosed the names and locations of its recycling vendors” to bring more transparency to its e-waste “recycling supply chain” in the hope that this will inspire other technical companies, and to give confidence to its own customers.
Annukka Dickens, HP Inc’s Director of Human Rights and Supply Chain Responsibility, said: “HP is disclosing its recycling partners to raise the bar for transparency in our industry and to highlight the high standards we set for those vendors. We challenge other companies in and outside of the high tech industry to follow our lead and disclose recycler vendor standards and performance, as well as the list of recycling vendors they employ globally.”
Part of the company’s circular economy plan is the recycling of used electronics, which involves recycling and reuse standards, a recycling audit programme and close relationships with recycling partners, which is why the OEM is “reducing resource consumption by reinventing product design to extend the life of […] products, shifting to service models, and transforming how whole industries design, make, and distribute products through disruptive technologies, such as 3D printing”.
The company has recycled over 3.3 billion pounds of electronic hardware and 682 million ink and toner cartridges since 1987, and through its Planet Partners Programme “offers takeback and recycling programmes” to keep printing consumables out of landfills in over 70 countries. Part of its policy is to involve all specialist companies to commit to “environmentally responsible processing techniques”, and to “comply with relevant government regulations”, as well as commit to “ethical labour practices” ,and conform to the Basel convention on limitation of shipping e-waste to other countries.
All vendors have to achieve the “third party certification” like e-Stewards, R2 or WEELABEX and allow regular audits, and cannot continue “recycling on HP’s behalf” if non-conformities found on audit are not addressed. Dickens concluded: “People should know how and where their equipment is recycled. We encourage customers to ask questions about what really happens to the equipment they return.”