Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

"EPA's DfE Program and the Massachusetts Toxics use Reduction Institute (TURI) entered into a voluntary partnership with representatives of the wire and cable industry to evaluate the environmental impacts of the current standard material formulations and alternative formulations. Specifically, the partnership used a life-cycle assessment approach to examine the impacts of heat stabilizers, polymer systems and flame retardants used in insulation and jacketing for selected wire and cable products. This information will address the information gap on the environmental impacts of the different materials used in wire and cable insulation, and help companies make environmentally sound product and material choices."

"Most of these images and graphics are available for use in the public domain, and they may be used and reproduced without permission or fee. However, some images may be protected by license. We strongly recommend you thoroughly read the disclaimers on each site before use. For information about obtaining seals of Federal Agencies and the United States, please see the Government Printing Office website." Searchable database of images used on government web sites.

"The DfE Printed Wiring Board (PWB) Partnership encouraged the use of technologies that improve both environmental performance and competitiveness of the PWB industry. Traditional methods for manufacturing PWBs: use toxic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, that pose potential health and environmental risks; use substantial amounts of water and energy;Generate large volumes of hazardous waste. The DfE Program partners, including the national PWB trade association, have examined alternative technologies that reduce or eliminate these impacts." Site includes general project information, findings & accomplishments, publications, and a list of partners.

A nonprofit group has developed two new campaigns using technology toward their mission to provide safety to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.

Electronics manufacturers, standards bodies, and legislators have begun to take notice of the Report coverhuman health and environmental concerns associated with the use of brominated and chlorinated compounds in electronic products. An array of conflicting definitions and policies have emerged to address these concerns at various levels. This report is intended to show the feasibility of re-engineering consumer electronic products to avoid the use of these compounds and recommends a definition to address human health and environmental concerns that is implementable by industry. CPA and ChemSec have compiled case studies that provide examples of seven companies that have removed most forms of bromine and chlorine from their product lines. The purpose of this report is to allow parties outside the industry to see the level of conformance that can be met today, as well as provide a tool for engineers designing the next generation of greener electronic devices.

Today, more than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Recognizing that all that gaming could add up to serious demand for electricity, NRDC and Ecos Consulting performed the first ever comprehensive study on the energy use of video game consoles and found that they consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego. Through the incorporation of more user-friendly power management features, we could save approximately 11 billion kWh of electricity per year, cut our nation's electricity bill by more than $1 billion per year, and avoid emissions of more than 7 million tons of CO2 each year. In this November 2008 issue paper, NRDC provides recommendations for users, video game console manufacturers, component suppliers and the software companies that design games for improving the efficiency of video game consoles already in homes as well as future generations of machines yet to hit the shelves.

Living in an age of disposability has led many durable goods manufacturers to explore ways of reducing the environmental footprint their products leave during their manufacturing process and throughout their lifecycle. The sheer volume of mobile phones produced annually and the propensity of users to chase mobile technology trends leads to an average replacement cycle of between 12 and 18 months, bringing special attention to the greening efforts of mobile device manufacturers. As consumer awareness and environmental legislation continue to evolve, handset vendors are developing their corporate responsibility initiatives to develop new business practices aimed at improving the compliance and environmental sustainability of their handsets. The European commission and industry-led initiatives have made great progress in developing a set of requirements and goals for developing sustainable business practices across the entire life cycle of handset production, distribution, use and disposal. This study identifies and explores key global handset initiatives and the handsets that are coming to market as a result of vendors' efforts to minimize their environmental impact. It also offers an analysis of us consumer interest, awareness and preferences of green handset vendor initiatives. Available for purchase from ABI Research at this URL.

Nike and Creative Commons are calling upon other companies and stakeholders to bring the network efficiencies of open innovation to solving the problems of sustainability. GreenXchange will seek to bring together stakeholders in working groups to discuss strategies for advancing the commons by exploring ideas such as using patent pools, research non-assertions, and using technologies that support networked and community-based knowledge transfer and sharing.

Deciding between new or used computers? Here's a rundown on the benefits of buying refurbished equipment:

Attorneys for Levin Furniture gave EarthEcycle until Saturday to remove 2 million pounds of used electronic equipment from Levin's Monroeville warehouse, or the retailer will dispose of it.

"To address the information gap on the environmental impacts of leaded and lead-free solders, EPA's DfE Program entered into a voluntary partnership with representatives of the electronics industry and other interested parties to evaluate the environmental impacts of tin-lead and lead-free solders (see the Partners page of this website for more information on project partners). The partnership used a life-cycle assessment approach to examine the impacts of tin-lead, tin-copper, tin-silver-copper, and tin-silver-copper-bismuth solders. " Site includes general project information, milestones, publications and a list of partners.

"The DfE Computer Display Partnership, along with the electronics industry, evaluated the life-cycle environmental impacts, performance, and cost of technologies that are used in desktop computer monitors-namely, cathode ray tubes (CRT) and liquid crystal displays (LCD).This project generated data to assist original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers in the electronics field in incorporating environmental considerations into their decision-making processes and identify areas for improvement. This project combined both the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment (CTSA) approaches to analyze the environmental impacts, performance, and cost of both CRT and LCD desktop monitors. These evaluations will help the electronics industry: consider alternative technologies, materials, and processes that reduce releases of toxic chemicals, conserve resources, and lower risks to human health and the environment; perform an improvement assessment of display technologies and their components; and meet the growing global demands for 'extended product responsibility.'" Site includes general project information, findings & accomplishments, publications and a list of partners.

Elizabeth Wilmot's parents, like many from the "Greatest Generation," never let anything go to waste: They saved string and wrapping paper and purchased used cars. So perhaps it's not surprising that Elizabeth, a former international marketing executive, would establish a company dedicated to...

The Ewaste Foundation's aim is to decrease the e-waste problem and to neutralize the fact that your used electronics, when given a second life in developing countries. Based in the Netherlands.

A small company in Lexington, Kentucky taking in and selling high quality used and sometimes news equipment.

"Discarded electronic products and components - or e-waste, as they are collectively known - can represent either a major environmental dilemma or a massive potential economic windfall. If treated properly, much e-waste may be reclaimed or recycled for future use and converted into a significant new revenue stream. Improperly treated e-waste, on the other hand, poses a massive threat to the world's ecosystem and can result in contamination to the soil, air, and water, while also exposing workers, nearby residents, and wildlife to a multitude of health hazards. This study forecasts that the worldwide market for e-waste recovery will grow from $5.7 billion in 2009 to nearly $14.7 billion by the end of 2014, representing a CAGR of 20.8% over the forecast period. This figure represents money generated through reclamation of valuable materials from e-scrap."

This study, the first to investigate workplace contamination in areas in Ghana where e-waste recycling and disposal is carried out, focussed on the main centre for this type of work, at the Agbogbloshie scrap market in Ghana's capital, Accra. One of the numerous similar, though far smaller, operations that take place throughout Ghana was also investigated, at the location of a scrap dealer in Korforidua, a smaller city to the north of Accra. At these workshops, e-waste is recycled in a crude way, primarily involving manual disassembly and open burning to isolate copper from plastics. Much of the work is carried out by children, commonly using only rudimentary tools and with no protective equipment.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics has said it will invest $4.3B (£2.6B) as part of an initiative to develop new energy-efficient products and halve carbon emissions from its factories by 2013. The consumer electronics giant today unveiled its Eco-Management 2013 plan, under which it will spend $2.5B on improving the energy efficiency of its products -- including TVs, refrigerators and air conditioning systems -- with a goal of delivering the highest levels of efficiency in the consumer electronics industry. Under the plan, standby power consumption on many products will also be halved from 1W to just half a watt, while the company has said it will work to identify new recyclable and organic materials that could be used in the manufacture of consumer products such as laptops and mobile phones. Meanwhile, $1.8B will be invested in halving greenhouse gas emissions from Samsung manufacturing plants. Article by Yvonne Chan, Greener Computing, 7/20/09.

Collective concern from businesses, municipalities, environmentalists and manufacturers over the hazards of e-waste has led to a search for ways to reduce its environmental impact. With a greater need for programs that handle collection and disposal of used electronics products in a way that is safest for the environment, product stewardship is emerging as a viable and cost-efficient strategy for doing so, placing the responsibility for a product's proper disposal on the shoulders of the company that makes or sells the product, or even upon the purchaser. The concept can be applied to a range of products, from paints and prescription medication to batteries and computers. Written by Carl Smith, CEO of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, 7/22/09.

A new study analyzing the Amazon Kindle electronic book reader's impact on the environment suggests that, on average, the carbon emitted over the life of the device is offset after the first year of use.