Another OEM (Canon) Offers to help

Canon is now opening "end of life" and "destruction" of used electronics in the developing world, following HP's lead in South Africa.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090817080108

Is this progress? I hope so. But just as I documented HP's early PR ("Crush Crush Grind Grind") before they embraced "reuse" in a bizarre video campaign, I have some concerns that Canon is at least as focused on ending cartridge refilling as they are with protecting dumps in Cairo. The word "destruction" in the press release will be excised in future versions, so I'll post the entire thing here, something I should have done in 2002 when AGMA announced the printer cartridge destruction campaign in Foshan China - which then disappeared like Sandra Bullock in The Net.

I'm not all doom and gloom and just slightly paranoid. Hopefully, the OEMs will discover Ford Motor Co.'s response to Vance Packard - that used product is more accessible to more people, and is a gateway to early purchasing. They younger people are when they can afford to drive, the more cars they buy in their lifetimes. Destroying the secondary market, as China is attempting to do, will result in a few more new sales but even more people going without, and those who go without drag down sales in the long run.

Canon Middle East signs deal with EnviroServe to tackle e-waste in the region

Dubai, UAE, 17 August 2009: Canon Middle East, the world-leading innovator and provider of imaging and information technology solutions, today announced its latest environmental initiative in the Middle East with the signing of a partnership agreement with EnviroServe, the leading environmental waste managers.

The signing signals the first phase of a wide scale regional programme to tackle the issue of e-waste in the Middle East. The programme will ensure the proper destruction and recycling of 'end of life' Canon consumer electronic products and service parts across the region through the company's extensive network of Channel partners.

"Rapid technology change in recent years has resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. E-waste is significantly different from industrially generated hazardous wastes in that almost every individual, institution and business generates it; therefore addressing this issue is a key priority for Canon. Our partnership with EnviroServe is part of our ongoing environmental commitment and reiterates our efforts to maximise resource efficiency and contribute to a society that practices sustainable development," said Bertil Widmark, Managing Director, Canon Middle East.

As part of this agreement, EnviroServe's e-waste recycling division 'EnviroFone' will facilitate the collection of 'end of life' electronic products,and service parts before segregating the materials into the different components and sending to recyclers where they will be melted, crushed and treated into raw materials for re-use.

"Because there is little awareness in the Middle East about how toxic e-waste elements like batteries and TV screens affect our environment, there is no system in place to responsibly recycle e-waste. Our main goal is to create awareness as well as develop and sustain a sense of environmental responsibility in our Arab communities and within the companies and businesses that operate in this region." Mariam Hanafy, EnviroFone Division Manager explained. "We are proud to be the only company in the region able to support and facilitate Canon's environmental initiatives and take-back programmes involving any kind of end-of-life electric and electronic equipment."

"Encouraging our consumers to recycle their end of life Canon products is one of the core fundamental principles of Canon's global environmental charter. We have an impressive track record of recycling worldwide, to date the cumulative weight of toner cartridges collected by Canon since 1990 exceeds 190,000 tons globally, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to extend this environmental commitment to the Middle East and North Africa," added Bertil Widmark.

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of environmental initiatives from Canon. As part of Canon's cradle to the grave production approach, by 2010 the company aims to reduce its carbon emissions to 50% of the output for the same work in 2000. In addition, Canon is the only company to have produced a range of green calculators made from recycled material.

To find out more about Canon Middle East and its environmentally responsible technology visit: www.canon-me.com

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