Ethical and green computer guide

Nicola Scott and Mary Rayner process the ethics of PCs.

Computers have become an essential part of our lives, used for study, work and leisure. As new technologies are developed, we often choose to replace our older systems with the latest available products. Inevitably, this will have a negative impact upon the environment and affect computer supply chains worldwide. These are issues which are easy to forget each time we turn our computers on, as the polluting materials and hours of labour needed to produce each machine are hidden from view. Considering this, does an ethical computer exist?

The report focuses on desktop computer. For email, word processing and web use, a system with 20GB hard disk, 256MB RAM and a 700MHz processor will suffice.(1) However, most computer systems are now sold with higher specifications.(2)

What's in your computer?

Most systems are now sold with a flat panel monitor which are much better for the environment than the old-style CRT screens. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in the complete "greening" of computer companies, as hazardous substances and processes still form a part of the production process, despite the recent implementation of European Union (EU) regulations to restrict the use of certain toxics in electronic equipment (marked with an asterix*below).
Some of the toxic substances still in use include:

• Brominated Flame Retardants*(BFRs): used in printed circuit boards, cables, wires and plastic for computer casings. They can affect learning and memory functions in humans.
• Cadmium*: used in rechargeable batteries and computer screens. Can affect the nervous system.
• Mercury*: used in batteries, may be harmful to the nervous system and toxic in high doses.
• Lead*: used in cathode ray tubes, can be harmful to the nervous system and poisonous in high doses.
• Flux: its chemical reaction facilitates the soldering process. In high concentrations it can cause dizziness, unconsciousness and even death. High levels can also cause depression in the central nervous system.(3)

With most big brand companies outsourcing the production of various computer components to multiple suppliers, health and safety standards within these supply chains have become the focus of environmental and workers’ rights groups.

For example, Greenpeace International’s ‘Eliminate toxic chemicals’ campaign produces a regular Green Electronics Guide which includes a rating of computer companies based on their use of hazardous materials (see below). It also scores companies on their product take-back.

Greenpeace's PC manufacturer ratings

Dell (7 out of 10)
Points lost for not yet having models without the worst chemicals. Strong support for take back.

Samsung (5 out of 10)
Points for toxic phase out but not good on take-back and recycling.

Sony (4.7 out of 10)
Some models without the worst chemicals, but bad on precautionary principle and take back

Hewlett Packard (4.7 out of 10)
Timelines only for toxics phase out plan. Good on amounts recycled.

Toshiba (3 out of 10)
Timelines only for toxics phase out plan. Good on amounts recycled.

Fujitsu-Siemens (3 out of 10)
Points for some models free of worst chemicals, but poor on take back.

Apple (2.7 out of 10)
Low scores on almost all criteria.

Acer (2.3 out of 10)
Should do better on all criteria.

Lenovo (1.3 out of 10)
The lowest score of all companies.

This list is adapted from Greenpeace's Green Electronics Guide. It scores PC manufacturers out of 10 on their global policies and practice on eliminating harmful chemicals and on taking responsibility for their products once they are discarded by consumers. Companies are ranked solely on information that is publicly available. See Greenpeace's website for more information about the companies profiled: www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics

Workers’ rights

CEREAL,(4) a Mexican labour rights organisation that works in partnership with the international development agency CAFOD, published a study in June 2006 on working conditions endured by a number of employees in the electronics industry in Mexico.

Employees interviewed for the report alleged that they were exposed to ‘inhalation or handling of one or more hazardous substances without adequate protection’.(3) Similar accusations emerged in a report published by SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations), a Dutch research and advisory bureau.

In late 2005 it highlighted allegations that workers employed by subcontractors for Acer and Fujitsu-Siemens in China and the Philippines had handled toxic chemicals in poorly ventilated spaces, with employees complaining of nausea, dizziness and skin allergies.(5)

To further illustrate the absence of good environmental management systems within the companies included in the product table, only three, NEC Computers, Toshiba and Sony, obtained ECRA’s best rating in this category by showing a mature approach to their environmental reporting.

Despite these issues, CEREAL’s report discovered that workers’ rights in Mexico’s electronics industry were improving, partly due to the creation of the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct (EICC). Originally created in 2004, the EICC obliges its signatories(6) to comply with specific labour, health and safety, environmental, and management system standards.

However, when CEREAL provided legal advice between January 2005 and April 2006 to nearly 600 Mexican electronics industry workers who had reported labour rights violations, it was clear that the EICC was not always implemented or checked by its signatories within their own supply chains in Mexico.

For example, the following quote by an employee at a Hewlett Packard production in the city of Chihuahua seemingly contradicts the EICC’s ‘Freedom of Association’ clause: “I started work in October 2005. I earned US$8 a day. When I started we were asked if we belonged to any trade union, and were warned that if we incited our colleagues to set up a trade union, we would be automatically sacked.

”(3) CEREAL’s research also identified an alleged infringement of the EICC’s ‘Non-Discrimination’ and ‘Freedom of Association’ clauses by Sony, as not only did the Sony plant in the city of Tijuana ‘screen tattooed people, trade unionists and pregnant women, [it] also asked about people’s religious beliefs.’(3)

While the EICC has begun the process of improving some working conditions within the computer industry Anne Lindsay, CAFOD UK’s Private Sector Policy Analyst, recently stated that “progress has been made, but there is a lot still to be done”.

(7) Furthermore, since the Code was amended in October 2005, Lindsay stated the following:

• that the “freedom of association clause is actually worse than the original 2004 Code. It still refers to ‘local laws’ rather than recognised international labour standards”.

• there was “no statement that overtime is voluntary” although CAFOD had pointed out this omission to companies which had signed the Code.
  
• “the Code is still way below the level of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) base code on labour issues”.(8)

For Supply Chain Policy none of the companies on the score table received ECRA’s best rating, although the following scored better in this category compared with the other companies: Apple, Hewlett-Packard Company Inc, DSG International (Advent), Dell and NEC.

PCs, POLLUTION & POLICIES

The RoHS Directive
The development in recent years of “cleaner” computers has been encouraged by the EU’s RoHS Directive, which governs “the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment”.(9) Since the Directive was implemented on 1st July 2006, new electrical and electronic equipment ‘containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl (PBDE) flame retardants’,(7) cannot be sold in the EU.

Consequently, manufacturers of these goods must ensure that their products comply with the Directive. The EU recommends businesses to have systems in place to identify, check and control activities which may breach the RoHS, including ‘supplier reliability and selection of raw materials and components’, along with ‘production processes and contamination’.(9)

This means that companies producing and/or selling computers in countries governed by the Directive cannot claim ignorance when illegal levels of hazardous materials have been used within their supply chains. However, as the Directive permits “agreed levels” of certain substances (such as when an alternative is not available), these toxics may not be completely banished.

For example, Greenpeace’s ‘Greener Electronics Guide’(10) stated in September 2006 that the following companies did not have any computers on the market which were completely free of PBRs: Acer, Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and Samsung. However, the Guide did mention that Dell had made commitments to eliminating the use of PBRs by 2009, and that Fujitsu-Siemens and Sony had PBR-free ranges on the market.

Labels for ‘eco-friendlier’ PCs

When choosing which computer to buy, there are several environmantal labels given to those which meet certain standards. For example, the EU has established the EU Energy Star® which is part of an agreement between the EU and the US government to co-ordinate labelling for the energy used by office equipment.

Updated specifications for the EU Energy Star label, which are due to be introduced from July 2007, will guarantee that accredited notebooks should use no more than 1.75 Watts (W) in standby, 3W in sleep, and 20W in idle mode, while desktop computers should use no more than 2W in standby, 7W in sleep, and 115W in idle mode.(11) The EU has an Energy Star database which includes information about desktop PCs and notebooks that have been awarded this label. See the table below and the Links section of this report for further details.

The German Blue Angel label which is administered by Germany’s Federal Environmental Agency,(12) ensures that qualified computers meet other requirements in addition to energy consumption. For example, it covers recyclable design, avoidance of the use of certain hazardous materials, and product take back. For computers in the product table accredited with this label, see the table below. The following desktop brands include models accredited with the Blue Angel label: Dell OptiPlex; Fujitsu-Siemens Esprimo, HP Compaq Business Desktop d530 Series.

The Swedish TCO label normally provides the most stringent of environmental tests for electronic equipment. However, no computers have obtained the TCO 05 label.(13) This means that the best available computers on the market, in terms of independent environmental accreditation, are those with the Blue Angel label.

Brand	Type	EU Energy Star (no. of certifications)	Blue Angel (no. of certifications)
Acer	Desktop Notebook	46 79
Apple	Mac Powerbook	16 16
Compaq Presario	Desktop Notebook	12	8
Dell	Desktop Notebook	13 18	26
Fujitsu Siemens	Desktop Notebook	40 24	9 3
Hewlett Packard	Desktop Notebook	22 14
Lenovo	Desktop Notebook	149 110
Samsung	Desktop	2
Sony	Desktop	3
Sun	Desktop	7
Toshiba	Desktop	11

Recycling & reusing PCs

Inevitably a computer’s lifecycle will come to an end. According to the US-based Basel Action Network (BAN),(14) the US National Safety Council estimated nearly 60 million personal computers in the United States will become obsolete during 2006, up from 17.5 million in 1997.(15) In April 2006 BAN reported that much e-waste from the US is sent to developing countries such as China.(16)

For example, in the Chinese city of Guiyu, ‘businesses process 1.5 million tons of e-waste a year, [worth] US$75million in revenue. As much as 80% of it comes from overseas’.(16)

In response to this, campaigns have begun to to exert pressure on individual companies to take responsibility for their work stations. A report recently published by the US-based Computer TakeBack Campaign,(17)praised Dell Inc for its take back programme, as the company took back all Dell brand products free of charge in the US. Hewlett Packard also received positive remarks for its take back scheme, although it did charge for its recycling service in the US.

A number of not-for-profit organisations and companies have developed their own schemes to recycle computers, such as the innovative work of Computer Aid.

Computer Aid

What do you call a computer that’s being replaced by a newer model? Junk? Landfill? Not if you’re Computer Aid International (CAI). The organisation takes end-of-life computers here in the UK and turns them into a perfect opportunity for educating school children, training nurses and increasing crop growth across Africa and South America.

A not-for-profit company based in London, CAI has so far taken 70,000 of the many PCs that are decommissioned in the UK every year and refurbished them. It then sells them at an affordable price to organisations in the developing world that can make a real difference to people’s lives through developing IT skills.

Rather than being a luxury item, IT is increasingly seen as an essential tool for lifting people out of poverty. In fact, a skilled and computer literate workforce is now widely recognised as being a key factor in Africa’s ability to boost its productivity and attract investment. And this is where CAI comes in.

It has supplied hundreds of PCs to Computers for Schools Kenya, a not-for-profit organisation set up to facilitate the productive and sustainable use of computers in Kenya’s secondary schools. And these computers are sorely needed - in terms of income distribution, Kenya is one of the most unequal societies in the world.

“School children who don’t have IT knowledge are at a disadvantage,” believes head teacher George Muthee. “Many of our pupils come from severely disadvantaged backgrounds, but by being able to offer IT classes, students stand a much better chance of getting a job or going to college.”

Despite having no mains electricity at home, student Peter Chada is aware of the importance of an IT education. “Everything is becoming computerised and if you’re going for a professional or office job the first thing an employer asks you is whether you are computer literate” says the 18-year-old, who aims to become a computer engineer.

Further south, in Swaziland, CAI has been working with the Computer Education Trust (CET) to provide a massive boost to PC use in schools. Before the project began, over 90% of students graduated from the state high school system without ever having seen, let alone had the opportunity to make use of, a PC in the classroom. CAI has provided over 2,000 PCs to CET, increasing PC use from almost zero to over half of all secondary schools in the country since the project commenced in August 2000.

One of the reasons CAI is such a success is that it solves a number of problems all in one go. As companies typically upgrade every three to five years, this means lots of decommissioned PCs – currently around three million each year, just in the UK.

“End-of-life PCs are worthless to most companies but invaluable to schoolchildren,” says Tony Roberts, director of CAI. “Companies see getting rid of old kit as one big headache. We can take care of their headaches while ensuring the PCs go to good causes.”

CAI runs its operations without cutting any corners. All PCs given to the organisation are thoroughly data-wiped to the highest standard, meeting requirements from corporate donors that all information is securely removed before the computers are refurbished. And it’s not just corporations that can donate their computers. For under £10, individuals can send their home PCs to be refurbished – all you need to do is box it up. For more information on this scheme, visit the CAI website or give them a ring.

CAI International, www.computeraid.org, 0207 281 0091, info@computeraid.org

Not-for-profit recycling and re-use schemes

WAKEFIELD
Airedale Computer Recycling
01977 736 283
www.airedalecomputers.com.
As part of Airedale Community Trading Ltd, it collects and recycles computers. Airedale Recycling has refurbished computer showrooms in Airedale and Wakefield (01924 298 884).

CORNWALL (BUDE)
Computers for Charity
01288 361 199
www.computersforcharity.org.uk.
A not-for-profit partnership which collects all systems 2GHz or higher free of charge from both individuals and companies, then recycles and sends them to Uganda and Ghana. Systems 700MHz-2GHz can be collected for £20 (incl. VAT).

LEICESTER
Groundwork Leicester & Leicestershire
0116 235 4488
www.gwll.org.uk.
As well as recycling computers brought to its centre in Leicester, the organisation has a range of refurbished computers, including laptops. All come with a back to base guarantee.

LONDON
Computer Aid
0207 281 0091
www.computeraid.org, info@computeraid.org. See Box 1 (above) for further details.

MANCHESTER (HULME)
Recycle IT!
0161 232 1424 or 0870 774 3762
www.recycle-it.ltd.uk.
A national not-for-profit computer recycling company in the UK, providing a service to corporate organisations, local authorities and small businesses.

Other recycling and re-use schemes

ASHTON-UNDER-LYME
Sims Group
0161 343 2316
www.sims-group.com/uk/home.
Recycles all electronic equipment.

CINDERFORD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Englehard
01594 827 744
www.engelhard.com/electronicrecycling.
The company offers a total destruction service and has zero waste going to landfill. It accepts computers and other electronic equipment from both companies and individuals.

For further information about computer recycling schemes in your area, see the ‘WEEE Directory’ at www.weeedirectory.com.

The WEEE Directive

The WEEE Directive (waste electrical and electronic equipment), was drawn up by the European Union in 2002 and contains two key producer obligations:

• distributors have an obligation to give consumers the opportunity to return WEEE free of charge when they purchase new equipment of a similar kind.
  
• producers are responsible for funding the collection, treatment, recovery and recycling of a share of household WEEE delivered to authorised treatment facilities in line with their market share.(18)

Although many other European countries have introduced the Directive, the UK Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) has continued to prevaricate and listen to industry lobbyists. In theory, regulations should come into force in the UK from January 2007. Its main obligations upon “producers” and “distributors” of electronic equipment under the Directive’s remit will apparently come into effect from the 1st April 2007.(19) However, it is still unclear how the UK scheme will work.

Alternatives

Perhaps the most ethical thing you can do before buying a new computer is to ask whether or not you need one. Friends of the Earth wants its supporters to ‘hold a PC amnesty. Encourage people with old PCs sitting in their basements to upgrade them [and] promote local refurbishment businesses’.(20)

If you require new software to be installed, check what specifications will be needed to run the program, or use similar software which has lower requirements. Research if you can upgrade the machine you already have. Ask yourself if it is really essential to buy a brand new computer with the latest cutting-edge technology just to email, use e-Bay, and write-up that report which is now overdue?

As an alternative, consider buying a second user computer. The following companies can provide an idea of what types of second user machines are available, and information about the warranties on their products: Bargain PC - www.bargainpc.co.uk, Future Computer Services Ltd - www.futurecomputers.co.uk 0800 619 1852, Morgan Computers - www.morgancomputers.co.uk 020 8575 0055, and PC Again - www.pcagain.biz 01494 460 600. If you work for a charity and need to upgrade your computers, check IT for Charities at www.itforcharities.co.uk 01959 522 806.

Links

Basel Action Network
www.basel.int
Blue Angel (eco-labelling)
www.blauer-engel.de
CAFOD Clean Up Your Computer Campaign
www.cafod.org.uk 020 7733 7900
SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations)
www.somo.nl 0031 (0)20 639 12 91
Computer TakeBack Campaign
www.computertakeback.com
Electronics Industry Code of Conduct (EICC)
www.eicc.info
European Commission Eco-Label
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel 0033 1 56 20 28 98
European Union Energy Star
www.eu-energystar.org/en/en_database.htm
Greenpeace - Green My Apple
Greenpeace’s ‘Green my Apple’ campaign wants “Apple fans to demand a new, cool product: a greener Apple.” The website offers a range of information about the environmental record of the company, and campaign actions people can take to try and get Apple to improve this record.
www.greenpeace.org/apple
RoHS Directive
www.rohs.gov.uk 020 8943 7227 or write to RoHS Enforcement TeamNWML, Stanton Avenue, Teddington, Middlesex,TW11 0JZ.
TCO Development (eco-labelling)
www.tcodevelopment.com 00 46 8 782 92 00
WEEE Directive
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee_index.htm

References

1 Vista, the latest version of Microsoft Windows, available in early 2007, will require higher specifications
2 For information on peripherals, see EC 88 (printers), and EC 93 (monitors)
3 Reproduced with permission from CAFOD/CEREAL, ‘New Technology Workers’, June 2006
4 Centro de Reflexion y Accion Laboral
5 SOMO, ”Acer and Fujitsu Siemens Computers shirk responsibility” press release December
6 EICC signatories included in the product table as of the 24th October 2006 were Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo/IBM, Sony, www.eicc.info 12 2005
7 Email received on 7th November 2006
8 See Eco Sceptic article on the back page of this issue
9 www.rohs.gov.uk 2/11/06
10 Published on 18 September 2006 www.greenpeace.org/international 16/11/06
11 European Commission, ‘Technical Specifications for Computers – State of Play’, May 2006
12 www.blauer-engel.de 2/11/06
13 www.tcodevelopment.com 16/11/06
14 BAN is named after the United Nations Environment Programme’s ‘Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal’ written in 1989
15 www.ban.org August 06 2/11/06
16 www.ban.org April 2006 2/11/06
17 Computer TakeBack Campaign ‘Recycling Your Computer’, October 2006
18 DTI WEEE Consultation July 2006
19 www.endsreport.com Issue 379 14/11/06
20 Worldstuff. TV Audience factsheet: Personal computers www.community.foe.co.uk 16/11/06
21 www.greenpeace.org/apple 14/11/06