i3 - January/February 2018 - 33

By Elliot Grimm

G R E E N P O L I CY

Making History
in the Recycling
Challenge

Vershinin/Getty Images

nnovation is always at the heart
of rapid developments in the
consumer tech industry and
now it is a driving force for significant
increases in product sustainability.
Material use, size, efficiency, longevity
and recyclability are directly correlated
to advancements in product innovation.

CTA's new industry sustainability report
highlights the achievements of the industry
and specific manufacturers and companies
who are at the forefront of this movement.
The CTA 2017 Sustainability Report illustrates the industry's long-standing commitment to environmentally friendly practices
and progress toward a healthier planet.
Elsewhere in the report, several sustainability topics are covered in greater detail.
The report details how our devices have
become more powerful and prevalent, but
also smaller and lighter. While the number
of devices in U.S. households has grown during the past 25 years, the total mass of those
devices peaked a decade ago and has
decreased each year since. This beneficial
trend is called "dematerialization."
And even as today's tech devices use less
materials, they also have eliminated or significantly reduced the presence of substances that
can be harmful to health and the environment.
Even the components that power our favorite
consumer tech are becoming more sustainable.
Under "Energy Saving Chips," the report
examines how the microchips inside our
devices have improved at an exponential rate.
The improved design of these chips is enabling
smaller, thinner devices and reducing the
amount of energy required to power them.
Also on the energy front, two industry initiatives have resulted in big savings for consumers
and the environment. Since 2012, the set-top
box voluntary agreement has saved consumers
C TA . t e c h / i 3

2017 Notable
Highlights
* TEN of CTA's largest
member companies,
including HP and Intel,
have committed to transitioning to 100 percent
renewable energy.
* FOUR BILLION
pounds of electronics
have been recycled
through the eCycling
Leadership Initiative.
* Television manufacturers have transformed
large, inefficient televisions into thin, highly
energy efficient and
intelligent devices,
bringing overall energy
use down 76 PERCENT
since 2003.
* The set-top box
industry signed an
energy efficiency
voluntary agreement
that has now saved consumers $2.1 BILLION
in energy savings.
* 15 PERCENT of U.S.
households use smart
home technology
to conserve energy
and save money.

Policy

an estimated $2.1 billion in energy
costs and avoided 11.8 million metric
tons of CO2. The industry's similar
agreement for home internet equipment
has helped more than 98 percent of
broadband equipment meet greater
energy efficiency standards.
As global population continues to
increase, water consumption is rising
to unsustainable rates. The report
looks at several companies stepping
forward to lead water conservation
efforts. Dell, for example, has established a goal to reduce its water use in
water-stressed regions by 20 percent.
And since 1998, Intel has invested
more than a quarter billion dollars in
water conservation projects, saving
more than 57 billion gallons of water.
One of the most important
challenges facing the CT industry
is finding ways to reduce overall
waste. Under "Waste Diversion," the
report looks at companies whose initiatives have helped reduce their waste
footprints. In 2015, Toshiba reused
95 percent of the total waste volume
generated from operations. And last
year, Microsoft became the first tech
company to earn the "Zero Waste
Facility Gold Certification" from the
U.S. Green Building Council through
its eco-friendly business practices.
GO ONLINE: Visit CTA.Tech/Green to read
the full CTA 2017 Sustainability Report
and learn more about the industry's efforts
on overall sustainability and efficiency.

Microchips inside
devices are reducing
the amount of
energy required to
power them.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

http://cta.tech/green http://www.cta.tech

i3 - January/February 2018

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