BAN: NGO at the forefront of e-waste dialogue

How electronic companies and consumers discard e-waste has been on the agenda of some corporate, nonprofit and governmental organizations such as mobile carrier Nokia, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, respectively. But one nongovernmental organization is at the forefront of raising consumer awareness, advocating for human and environmental rights and building policy — the Basel Action Network (BAN).

One can look at BAN’s Website, with its graphic photos of e-waste sites, to see it works to inform not only the public but establish systems and partner stakeholders committed to upholding the 1989 Basel Convention's treaty, which calls for the transportation ban of hazardous waste materials from industrialized nations to poorer countries.

Seattle-based BAN, named in honor of the Basel Convention, is recognized by the United Nations Environment Program as a voice of the “toxic trade” issue and it serves as an advocate in concert with others on international e-waste policy, according to its Website. To further substantiate this claim, BAN’s leaders joined more than 100 experts in Vienna, Austria this month for the first-ever workshop/meeting to develop and make recommendations for a United Nations process to reduce and eliminate chemicals in the design, manufacturing and recycling of electronic products. The effort, summoned by Secretariats to the Basel and Stockholm Conventions and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), was in response to growing concerns by government, private sector and NGOs with the growth of e-waste and its effects on human health and the environment.

Outcomes, according to a news release from commondreams.org, include “pollution prevention (including elimination of hazardous chemical use) and improving process designs; ensuring that subcontractors protect workers and surrounding communities; development of pollution reporting; and intensifying health monitoring for workers and residents.”

This forum discussion can be viewed as significant, for stakeholders continue to debate about sustainable approaches to the e-waste problem, some citing high recycling costs, consumer misinformation and apathy, inconsistent electronic corporate social responsibility missions and practices, and lack of leadership on local, national and international governmental levels.

BAN’s leadership recognizes this conundrum and has positioned itself to be a disseminator of information for those looking to effect change. For instance, the group started its e-Stewards Initiative, which unifies consumers, corporations and cities to make the right choices. BAN instituted the e-Steward Pledge and certification programs, which unites 40 e-recyclers across the United States, who safely remove and process e-waste.

Mobile Phones and E-waste

Source: Inform.org

Electronic devices continue to flood the marketplace and gadget enthusiasts find themselves gravitating to the advertisements, touting the latest technological advances in mobile phones, tablets, flat-screen televisions, and MP3 players. But many consumers remain unaware of the problems associated with abandoning the old for the new and how it impacts the environment and humanity internationally.

This issue came to the forefront with the Switzerland-based Basel Convention, an group formed to combat the proliferation of e-waste and establish environmental standards to prohibit “toxic traders” from sending shiploads of disposals to poor communities. Its 1989 landmark ban against such actions has been the guide that scholars, environmentalists, e-stewards and activists look to base their theories and practices on about e-waste and recycling. The Seattle-based Basel Action Network, specifically, works to uphold the convention's standards.

An area that BAN and others are focusing on lately is the latest growth in e-waste due to increased mobile phones usage. According to technology researchers Gartner, 417 million new handsets were sold worldwide in the third quarter, up 35 percent from 2009. And the International Telecommunications Union estimates there are 5.3 billion subscribers worldwide. That translates to about 77 percent of the world’s population, with China and India leading the growth, according to mobithinking.com.

When it comes to recycling practices, Americans toss 130 million phones per year and more than 100 million cell phones are no longer being used, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet, there are some consumers who take their devices to local recyclers in their communities. But are the handlers environmentally responsible with their practices?

Jim Puckett, executive director of BAN, appeared on NPR’s “Fresh Air” in late 2010 to educate listeners about the lucrative electronic recycling trade and how consumers can be mislead to think the handler is reputable. On its site, BAN features e-Stewards, certified recyclers who dispose of e-waste responsibly.

To see the impact of the mobile phone discussion, Inform, a national non-profit produced a short video featuring how consumers remain unaware of this e-waste issue. Knowing its final destination might change future behavior in how the public discards mobile devices.