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Building on its leadership in responsible electronics recycling, LG Electronics USA has joined forces with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a charter participant in the EPA's Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge launched.
(Photo: LG Official Home Page)
LG is committed to supporting the EPA's SMM Electronics Challenge goal of advancing the responsible management of used electronics by voluntarily committing to sending 100 percent of used electronics collected for reuse and recycling to certified third-party recyclers, increasing the total amount of used electronics collected for reuse and recycling, and publicly posting information and data.
Consistent with President Obama's National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship, LG's support for the SMM Electronics Challenge reflects the company's already strong commitment to leadership in the e-waste arena. In fact, LG Electronics USA collected and responsibly recycled more than 15 million pounds of unused and unusable electronics in 2011.
"LG is proud to support the EPA's Electronics Challenge, and we are pledging to achieve Gold status in this important program," said Wayne Park, president and CEO, LG Electronics USA, Inc. "By joining the Challenge, we're committing to refurbishing and recycling even more used electronics. And, by using third-party certified recyclers, we're helping to drive the use of environmentally protective practices."
According to the EPA, SMM Gold is the highest-level status designed for organizations with exemplary, well-developed collection programs that are sending 100 percent by weight of the total amount of used electronics collected from all streams for recycling and reuse to third-party certified recycling vendors, while going above and beyond third-party certification standards.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said, "Already, the United States generates almost 2.5 million tons of electronic waste per year – and that number will only grow. Used electronics have materials in them that can be recovered and recycled, reducing the economic costs and environmental impacts of securing and processing new materials for new products. The SMM Electronics Challenge will help us ensure that we are doing all we can to repurpose or safely dispose of the cell phones, computers and other devices we use every day – all while helping to build a robust market for electronics recycling in the United States."
(Photo: EPA Official Home Page)
Underscoring its commitment to responsible recycling LG Electronics Inc. is the first "Global e-Stewards Enterprise." The e-Stewards standard, developed by the Basel Action Network, is the world's most rigorous certification program for electronics recyclers. It prevents the export and dumping of toxic electronic waste in developing countries and calls for safeguards to protect private data and to ensure that recycling plant workers are not exposed to toxic materials.
"Sustainability is a core value at LG," said Park. "From our industry-leading commitments to reduce carbon emissions in our U.S. operations by 50 percent by 2020,* to our ambitious efforts to bring more high-efficiency ENERGY STAR® qualified products to market, LG is committed to enhancing consumers' lives through innovation. Life's good when you live green."
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