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Lenovo Says They Agree with Us! We say Prove It!

Inspired by The Story of Electronics, hundreds of people sent letters to Lenovo President and CEO Rory Read yesterday, telling the company to green its products and “Make ‘em Safe, Make ‘em Last, and Take ‘em Back.” Within hours,Read got back in touch to say he “could not agree with [us] more.”

We’re excited that Lenovo wants to do better, but with their weak track record on responsible recycling and failure to follow through on a commitment to get PVC and brominated flame retardants out of their products, we’re not ready to take them at their word just yet.

Lenovo—the world’s fourth largest personal computer maker—got a D minus on the Electronics TakeBack Coalition’s Recycling Report Card. They have a takeback program on paper, but in reality they’re not making the effort to take back their products unless state laws force them to. In most states, Lenovo simply offers a dysfunctional mailback program, and, let’s face it, almost nobody’s mailing back their electronics for recycling. In Texas, for example, they collected a paltry 458 lbs of e-waste in 2009. (By comparison, Dell collected 13 million lbs in Texas). We know Lenovo can do better!

In his letter, the Lenovo CEO said that his company is getting ready to release a new sustainability report that demonstrates their commitment to making clean, green, long-lasting products. If Read really agrees with us, this report should include Lenovo’s commitment to:

• Work only with recyclers who are certified to the rigorous e-Stewards recycling standard;

• Make a real effort to get back their products in the U.S., by offering convenient, well publicized collection sites in all    states;

• Provide full transparency on their recycling vendors, detailed vendor requirements, and volumes collected by state;

• Support federal legislation to stop global e-waste dumping from the U.S.; and

• Design out the toxics and design in closed loop recycling, so products collected can be recycled into new Lenovo products

So, go ahead and show us what you’re made of, Lenovo! Prove that you’re truly committed to going green.

–The Story of Stuff Project and The Electronics TakeBack Coalition

posted by Allison Cook
November 10, 2010
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  • Subbu

    Nice work. The video and social network had resulted great impact in bringing awareness. well done stuff project team.

  • Ayushi Sharma

    This is an amazing response. Small steps can eventually revolutionize a very serious issue.Hope it proves to be an effective tool for others also.

  • Smitha T T

    Hi,
    Its awesome. Request to make electronics last long is a no doubt a good idea. But sure it takes longer to reach there.

    The first Idea which come to my mind is having a standard charging and earphone point for mobile/gadgets.

    People keep changing their gadgets for their own reasons, having standard charging and ear phone point will reduce on number of chargers and earphone dumped to waste.
    Thanks,
    Smitha

  • RJ

    (Disclaimer: I haven’t watched the video yet…)
    The recycling / take-back / e-waste dumping answers are obvious solutions.

    How about designing in re-use / commonality?
    E.g., for same brand products, I shouldn’t need additional batteries, download cables, chargers, adapters, memory, etc. not to mention interior component parts. If I’m willing to stick with a company’s products, I shouldn’t have drawers full of obsolete accessories.

  • http://organicfarmstead.com/2010/11/12/a-holiday-season-wish-electronics-that-arent-destined-for-the-dump/ OrganicFarmstead.com » Blog Archive » A Holiday Season Wish: Electronics That Aren’t Destined For the Dump

    [...] progress has been made. In the few days since the video came out, Lenovo’s CEO already wrote back that it is getting ready to release a new sustainability report demonstrating new and improved green [...]

  • http://www.recyclewise.co.nz Baz

    I think Leovo will step up to the challange. After all, they would not like to be seen lagging behind their competitors.

  • Maya

    Go Annie!
    One step at a time, we can make the world a greener place.
    P.S.What (and when) is the next video?

  • http://anewhumanity.blogspot.com/ Kevin Fichtner

    There is a huge solution to all this that is being overlooked. Yes, moving toward a take-back manufacturing model is an admirable goal, but that will take years. Consumers can start to take-back their own stuff right now! Pay the $100 to keep DVD player; get the washer fixed, have the lawn mower repaired. This accomplishes even more than the take-back model because the dollars spent on repair stay in the local economy instead going to boost the economies of rising economic superpowers.

  • http://www.thingsaregood.com/2010/11/15/the-story-of-electronics/ The Story of Electronics | Things Are Good

    [...] From their blog: Inspired by The Story of Electronics, hundreds of people sent letters to Lenovo President and CEO Rory Read yesterday, telling the company to green its products and “Make ‘em Safe, Make ‘em Last, and Take ‘em Back.” Within hours,Read got back in touch to say he “could not agree with [us] more.” [...]

  • Saboor Atrafi

    Very inspiring and well done. I just showed “the story of stuff” video to a number of friends (who don’t necessarily belong to any sophisticated environmental circle), and was quite happy to see their positive reaction. Simple, convincing, and appealing to average audience. Right on!