With consumer electronics global retail sales projected to grow 10pc this year, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) 2010 Sustainability Report released yesterday is tracking the industry’s greening initiatives.
Speaking yesterday at CES in Las Vegas, Steve Koenig, the CEA’s director of industry analysis, said: “I think that the US$1trn mark is truly achievable this year. It’s within reach.”
The CEA said the consumer electronics market remains dominated by TVs, PCs and mobile phones.
Consumer electronics and sustainability
Looking at the progress the industry is making in terms of its environmental agenda, from designing more energy-efficient products, cutting greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) at facilities and developing a national electronics recycling infrastructure, the CEA 2010 Sustainability Report has looked at 21 separate case studies from a range of CE companies.
“The consumer electronics industry is committed to greening its products and practices for the benefit of consumers, communities and the overall environment,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA.
“In the past three years, we’ve made great strides in our environmental efforts, by creating more green products, improving energy efficiency and deepening our commitment to electronics recycling. We know there is work remaining, and we will press forward with these initiatives in 2011 and beyond.”
More from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas:
Angry Birds launched for Windows PCs on Intel apps store
Environmental progress according to CEA:
- Industry-wide unit sales of US products registered with EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) grew by 10pc in 2009, to a total of 48.5 million products.
- Many consumer electronics companies are switching to renewable materials, including bio-based plastics, or recyclable materials instead of clamshell packaging and are looking to reduce the amount of packaging they use.
- Many manufacturers have set ambitious goals for reducing GHG at their facilities. Meanwhile, other companies have launched efforts to cut power consumption at their data centres.
The full CEA 2010 Sustainability Report is available here.
