Striving to eliminate e-waste

It is estimated that up to 50 million tonnes of e-waste (electronic waste) are discarded every year, with around 70% of this waste reaching Africa, China and India, where it is dealt with by “recyclers” that observe no health, safety or environmental considerations. In India alone, it is believed that up to five million people – many of them children and the majority with little or no protection against the harmful substances released – are involved in this trade.

This issue has been highlighted in the media by videos such as the following, filmed by Greenpeace;

As part of our commitment to working to benefit the communities in which we operate, Premier Farnell is collaborating with a leading expert on the issue of lead poisoning resulting from the improper recycling of e-waste in India to assess the most appropriate and beneficial ways that the Company can contribute to addressing this serious issue.

The initiatives that are encompassed by the Premier Farnell campaign are:

• We will be a leader in the electronics industry in raising awareness and understanding of the issue of electronic product recycling and the resultant harm caused to human health and the environment.
• We will provide financial support and training materials over the next three years to train at least 500 teachers and therefore 250,000 students in India on the hazards of lead poisoning and the means to avoid it.
• We will work with the appropriate industry bodies to lobby for the introduction and/or ratification of legislation that would address this issue (e.g. equivalents of the European Union’s RoHS and WEEE legislation).
• We will set up a charitable trust with wide input from industry, suppliers and customers to invest funds in the relevant projects.