CEA Launches Industry-Wide Sustainability Report with Support of Five Winds International
Published by Paulette Fréchette on January 12, 2011
Guelph, ON - The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® released its 2010 Sustainability Report this week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Five Winds International produced the report in conjunction with CEA, highlighting the tremendous progress the industry has made in creating a more sustainable world, from designing more energy efficient products to cutting greenhouse gas emissions at facilities, to developing a national electronics recycling infrastructure.
The report, an update to CEA's first-ever sustainability report in 2008, documents leading activities of the industry along the life cycle phases of CE products from an environmental perspective and also documents best practices in the sector from a social contribution and transparency point of view. The CEA 2010 Sustainability Report contains 21 separate case studies from a variety of CE companies illustrating progress in their corporate sustainability efforts. Five Winds managed all aspects of the report development including liaising with CEA members to develop case studies, writing the report in its entirety, and coordinating the graphics design and layout of the report.
Following are some highlights of progress documented in the report:
~ Sustainable product design: Industry-wide unit sales of U.S. products registered with EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) grew by 10 percent in 2009, to a total of 48.5 million products. One manufacturer, for instance, conducted a comprehensive life cycle analysis for every product it ships to determine where greenhouse gases are created. After discovering 97 percent of the emission derived from manufacturing and product use, the company focused on designing new products that use less material, smaller packaging, and are as energy efficient and recyclable as possible.
~ More energy efficient products: According to the EPA, 27,000 CE product models currently meet ENERGY STAR specifications. The average energy savings of ENERGY STAR electronics devices range from 20 to 55 percent. An example of this progress is one semiconductor design company created a chip that can reduce its GHG by up to 40 percent by combining the processing and graphics processing units and the Northbridge chipset onto a single chip.
~ eCycling: The consumer electronics industry recycled 200 million pounds in 2009, and industry supports more than 5,000 permanent collection sites nationwide. Some examples of these efforts include one CE retailer collecting 100 million pounds at its 1,200 U.S. locations and one computer manufacturer operating an eCycling program at more than 2,200 U.S. Goodwill sites.
This transparent report will help CEA meet its goal of driving adoption of sustainable business practices widely across the industry, including small and large companies in its membership.
The report is available on CEA's website and has also been posted on the GreenBiz.com website as a featured resource.
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About Five Winds International
Five Winds International is one of the world's most experienced sustainability management consulting firms. Its focus is on helping clients understand sustainability, improve their performance and succeed in the marketplace. Since 1998, Five Winds has worked with many respected firms to develop the strategies, management systems, tools and processes needed to achieve leadership in sustainability. With respect to sustainability communications, Five Winds works with its clients to identify the issues that matter to them and their stakeholders, then assess and communicate performance in a clear, credible and meaningful way. Five Winds International has offices in Canada, Europe and the United States. Find Five Winds International online at www.fivewinds.com
For more information on sustainability reporting or Five Wind's other Strategic Sustainability Services, please contact: Jennifer Clipsham at +1 (519) 822-6668 x 222.
About CEA
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $170 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.
For more information on CEA or the sustainability activities of the consumer electronics industry, please contact: Tim Doyle at +1 (703) 907-4322.
Found in: industry news electronics sustainability consumer report
