| The Business of Green Gadgets |
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| Scott Gilbert, Sales Manager, Jabra South Africa | |||
| Thursday, 27 November 2008 | |||
  Global warming is upon us and in recent years there has been an uprising in the amount of pressure placed on organisations, in particular, to be more environmentally conscious. There has also been an increased amount of coverage highlighting individual organisation’s ‘green’ initiatives, in a bid to encourage organisations to maintain these proactive programmes, as well as to place pressure on competitors to create their own.This newly formed contest between market leaders has created a setting where everyone in the business environment needs to ensure that they are part of a green initiative to reduce product waste. Most organisations, therefore, team up with their business or channel partners to ensure that their products and gadgets are ‘green’, from the time of conception and development, to the ultimate disposal of obsolete technologies. Some of the ways in which they are getting this right include: Development All materials used in the development of products should meet the requirements set out in the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive or Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) for safe use. For example, the materials must not cause any irritation or allergic reactions. Particular care is taken to make sure that any materials that come into contact with the user’s skin are free of substances which might cause a skin reaction. This also applies to product packaging materials. Additionally, the materials used must not contain hazardous substances that can be a threat to human health or the environment. As such, internationally recognised lists of safe materials have been established to assist not only product developer or manufactures, but their business partners and review boards as well, to monitor banned substances to ensure all end-user products meet the outlined requirements. It has therefore become vitally important for product developers to strongly consider the product and its functions, and apply design principles that aim to identify new environmentally friendly materials. Distribution Before aligning themselves with product manufactures, distributors should not only assess whether there is a market for the product, but also how the product is produced – are the products developed around RoHS and WEEE, as well as the manufacturer’s corporate policies towards using environmentally safe technology during product development. Distributors may very well be judged by the company they keep, that is the corporate image of the brands that they align themselves with. Therefore, part of the selection criteria for existing or new partners should be to assess a product from a green technological approach, including whether the products function and use may filter down to an end user’s contribution towards being green. Reusing Often, when new technologies enter the market and the older ones become outdated, they are not always necessarily obsolete. Many products and gadgets today have several standard components that can be harvested and reused for the repairs on others. It is then equally important that the products are easy to repair, thereby reducing the number of products and parts that need to be manufactured. Recycling Most organisations’ ‘green’ initiatives start small – by encouraging all internal and external stakeholders to recycle. Although recycling is one of the oldest forms of environmental consciousness, it is still a valid activity, perhaps more so, in today’s gadget society. With the rapid pace of technological developments, and product developers constantly trying to bring out the next big thing, recycling is one of the simplest means of reducing greenhouse gases. Also, ensuring that products are properly disposed of will assist in preventing the release of hazardous chemicals, such as mercury, lead, acid, zinc or cadmium, when products are broken or crushed, thereby reducing the chances of contamination in the environment. Developers should therefore select materials that can be recycled and build products that can be easily disassembled for recycling from the get go – this would be ideal. The next level of excellence is accountability Although it is anticipated that the next level of excellence within environmental protection will be driven by Corporate Social Responsibility and Accountability (CSR), new age business partnerships should be built on a conscious effort to bring the latest in environmentally safe gadgets to the end user, as well as ensuring that the loop is closed and obsolete gadgets are properly disposed of. Consequently, top management have a leading role to play and should get actively involved in establishing a vision and policies around environmental protection issues – constantly following up on and controlling the efforts and results to drive their implementation. This can be achieved through effective communication with suppliers and customers at all times.“We may not be able to reverse the effects of global warming - entirely, however, if everyone does their part to preserve the environment we can establish a positive balance for future generations.” - Scott Gilbert
Disclaimer: Harmonious Living is written for and read by a community of individuals with strong and independent opinions. While the publishers of Harmonious Living are dedicated to providing a forum in which views can be openly expressed, those views do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
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