Arlington, Va. –  Representatives from the U.S. electronics industry have endorsed a resolution with state governments and environmental groups to develop sustainable, fair and flexible recycling efforts nationwide, the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) announced today.  As part of that resolution, manufacturers will work together to develop a framework for financing the nationwide recycling program that an EPA-initiated stakeholders group known as the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) will then recommend to Congress.  The difficult task ahead for industry is to reach consensus on the divergent views among companies.  Specifically, industry will create a proposal for legislation that will finance recycling programs through a fee at point of sale or allow companies to create alternative plans to manage costs without a fee on their products.   Manufacturers will also be given flexibility in fulfilling their recycling responsibilities either collectively or individually, through the development of “Alternative Stewardship Plans.”   The Alternative Stewardship Plans will demonstrate how manufacturers intend to meet or surpass collection and recycling goals set by EPA or another neutral party.

“With this agreement, our members are working together and moving the industry forward by presenting a unified solution to help consumers and government agencies recycle more electronic equipment,” said EIA Director of Environmental Affairs Heather Bowman said.

EIA has been a charter member of the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) since the multi-stakeholder dialogue effort was organized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April of 2001.  The objective of the Initiative was to discuss and reach agreement on a national solution for the financing of end of life electronics. 

In noting the presence of Dell, Epson, Hewlett Packard, Panasonic and Sharp, at the negotiating table, Bowman said “the members who represented industry in NEPSI have shown incredible leadership in agreeing to work together in the near future on how best to finance recycling efforts.  The other stakeholders should be commended as well for their willingness to ratify new approaches for dealing with a new and incredibly complex environmental challenge.”

EIA believes one of the primary benefits of participation in NEPSI has been the ability of all stakeholders to understand the complexities posed by the electronics waste issue.  “This isn’t just a manufacturers’ issue, or a consumer issue, or a problem the states have to handle,” noted Bowman. “It is an issue affecting everyone. EIA is pleased with this significant progress.”

In the past few years, member companies in the electronics industry have launched initiatives to educate consumers and government agencies on the issues and worked to develop recycling programs. For example, several of EIA’s member companies have established partnerships with government agencies on local collection events across the nation. And as the lead industry trade association on the issue, EIA and its member companies have:

• worked with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Goodwill Industries, and industry member companies to develop a pilot program for recycling efforts at two Goodwill Industries sites as part of a true electronics recycling shared responsibility model in which costs are borne by industry, consumers and charitable organizations;
• since 2001, educated more than 300,000 visitors to EIA’s Consumer Education Initiative (www.eiae.org) – the industry’s website that provides consumers with recycling and reuse options for used electronics;
• Initiated and participated in numerous electronics recycling conferences and workshop to share information regarding  end-of life electronics management issues; 
• fostered a greater understanding of the electronics industry and its practices; 
• educated stakeholders on electronics recycling challenges in the U.S. and abroad;
• supported EPA’s Plug-in to eCycling program;
• participated in several state stakeholder and advisory committee groups, including the Maine Electronics Recycling Advisory Committee and the Oregon stakeholders group which will hold their first meeting today; and,
• advocated for practical, feasible and cost-effective electronics recycling efforts in over 20 states.

“EIA is optimistic that, in time, industry manufacturers will be able to reach consensus on the issue of financing,” Bowman added.   “If we can make this overall framework a part of any legislation introduced in Congress, we’re confident we can make electronics recycling efforts more effective and sustainable.”