You might be surprised to find a post on Direct2Dell calling attention to something another computer company announced this week. This one does more than that – it applauds it.
On Thursday, HP clarified its policy on the export of electronic waste to developing countries, stating it “does not permit electronic waste to be exported from developed (member) countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) to developing (non-OECD/EU) countries, either directly or through intermediaries.”
This is great news, and we very much hope the rest of our industry is at work now to update their global disposition policies with this important addition. The fact is, most developing countries don’t have the infrastructure they need to dispose of electronic waste the right way, and the unauthorized dumping of e-waste in these countries has resulted in unsafe and unhealthy conditions for their citizens. As the world’s leading providers of technology, we have a responsibility to ensure that technology is disposed of properly at the end of its usable life. Policies and practices like these are an important step.
When Dell announced last May our ban on exporting non-working electronics from developed to developing countries, we were the first in our industry to do so. We never wanted to be the only ones – the entire electronics industry needs to address this issue – so we’re thrilled that HP has joined us in taking a strong stance here. We strongly encourage the rest of the industry to do the same.