By Aimee Siegler
In the electronics industry, 2010 has been a year of awakening to the need for corporate social responsibility. There have been drivers from all directions, from the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) to Greenpeace to new standards, and all have had an impact on the industry.
The EICC requires its members to not only use the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct, but also to flow the requirements of the code to their suppliers. While the suppliers are not required to join the EICC, the effects of the use of the code will drive change in the supply chain. The code addresses a number of issues from labor and management systems to environment, health & safety and ethics. Some Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are not only flowing the requirements down to their suppliers, but are requiring their suppliers to flow the requirement to their own suppliers. This broadens the impact of the code in a year that has been filled with headlines like A look inside the Foxconn suicide factory and Inside Foxconn City: A Vast Electronics Factory Under Suicide Scrutiny. More recent news has focused on ethics issues like insider trading.
Greenpeace has also been a driving force with changes to the formula for their Guide to Greener Electronics. One of the factors that is now considered is not just the company’s use of brominated flame retardants and PVC, but whether or not the company lobbies on behalf of Greenpeace’s viewpoint. While my personal opinion is that this is a form of censorship, the fact is this measure has had an impact on the industry and its actions. As nations develop tighter controls on e-waste disposal, the amount of dioxins and furans generated through sub-standard end-of-life processing will decrease over time.
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