Yesterday I had the chance to speak at the E-Scrap conference held this year in Phoenix. This is one of the leading events held annually that focuses on the issues of electronics recycling. Dell is always eager to engage in forums like E-Scrap that bring together the manufacturing, recycling, non-profit and government influencers of recycling programs and policies.
My comments yesterday were largely on both our commitment to responsible recycling and how we manage our programs and on what we’ve learned in the nearly four years since we’ve launched Reconnect, our alliance with Goodwill. Some of the thoughts I shared were about how effective non-profit and corporate partnerships can be when all objectives are well understood by both parties. For example, a key metric of success of the Reconnect program for my colleagues at Goodwill is how many jobs they create while one of Dell’s most important metrics is how many computers we collect.
I also spent some time discussing the importance of our rules that prohibit the export of waste and steps we take to enforce that requirement. There continues to be a good deal of attention in the press to this issue and it’s good that we are raising awareness on this important topic. It will take the cooperation of industry and government to successfully create both consumer recycling options and protection of the environment and human health.