ENERGY EFFICIENCY & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

NATIONAL ECYCLING FRAMEWORK

Through the eCycling Leadership Initiative in 2011, Consumer electronics industry leaders launched the first-ever industry-wide electronics recycling initiative to recycle one billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016. Known as the "Billion Pound Challenge", the eCycling Leadership Initiative seeks to improve consumer awareness of the more than 7,500 e-waste recycling collection sites currently sponsored by industry; increase the amount electronics recycled responsibly; increase the number of collection opportunities available; and provide transparent metrics on eCycling efforts.

  • April 24, 2013 - The U.S. consumer electronics industry continues to make strides toward increasing electronics recycling across the nation, according to a new report released by CEA. Second Annual Report of the eCycling Leadership Initiative tracks the efforts of the CE industry nationwide to make recycling electronics as easy as purchasing electronics – and to make responsible recycling of electronics an option for consumers in all 50 states. The report revealed that 585 million pounds of electronics were responsibly recycled in 2012 by CE companies working in the eCycling Leadership Initiative; as of April 2013, there are more than 8,000 responsible recycling locations available to consumers nationwide; and by the end of 2012, 99 percent of the recycling handled by eCycling Leadership Initiative participants was conducted in third-party certified recycling facilities.
  • April 17, 2013 - The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) held the first meeting of its newly formed Working Group on the Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) Rules. CEA was asked to serve on this Working Group, which will play a role in helping CalRecycle develop outreach and guidance documents for regulated entities under the RPPC rules. CalRecycle is working to overcome significant resource constraints and has revised its website to provide better information to potentially regulated entities, will issue guidance documents and a FAQ document, and will host a workshop on July 23 to help educate and inform the regulated community of the law and requirements. In 2012, CEA filed numerous requests for clarification on the RPPC rules on behalf of members, and CalRecycle is only now beginning to address industry concerns.

  • April 2013 - CEA and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI) launched a technical Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Challenge to identify financially viable, environmentally-conscious proposals for using recycled CRT glass. As CRT technology has been displaced in the market by liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) and plasma displays, the consumer electronics and recycling industries are working to find inventive and creative new ways to recycle old CRT glass. Over the coming years, more than two billion pounds, or a thousand tons, of legacy CRT TVs and monitors are expected to enter the recycling stream. And with demand for old CRT glass to make new CRT glass waning, there is an increased need for new environmentally-sound, economically sustainable uses for this material. CEA and ISRI will accept submissions for this crowd-sourced technical competition until June 30, 2013. The winning solution will be chosen based on economic and environmental benefits, and CEA will award $10,000 to the winner. CEA and ISRI will publicize and share solution(s) with manufacturers, retailers and recyclers, and encourage implementation.

  • March 25, 2013 - In response to the New York Times article on CRT recycling, CEA’s Walter Alcorn, vice president – Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, submitted a letter to the editor explaining the strides that the consumer electronic's industry has taken towards electronic recycling efforts. In his letter, Alcorn highlighted several recycling efforts driven by industry including a CRT challenge co-sponsored by the Environmental Defense Fund in 2011, which was a crowd-sourced challenge to find alternative uses for discarded CRT glass. Alcorn's main argument referenced the success of the eCycling Leadership Initiative, an industry led group of electronics manufacturers who have promised to recycle a billion pounds by the year 2016. Not only are electronics manufacturers helping to responsibly recycle end of life products, but they are also striving to make their newest products more energy efficient and environmentally sensitive.

ENERGY USE DISCLOSURES FOR ELECTRONICS

CEA is dedicated to providing information to consumers regarding energy use of their consumer electronics products. CEA’s efforts include developing test procedures for measurement, gathering current data, providing online tools and information, and contributing to the Federal Trade Commission’s rulemaking on national energy labeling requirements. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Voluntary, market-oriented programs and initiatives, including industry-led standards, are a proven and successful approach to advancing energy efficiency in consumer electronics. CEA works cooperatively with governments in the development of energy efficiency initiatives and opposes mandates that stifle innovation, reduce consumer choice, and limit product features and services.

  • April 26, 2013 - CEA submitted comments  to the Department of Energy requesting that DOE conclude or terminate its rulemaking without setting a federal test procedure for televisions. In its comments, CEA argued that DOE’s adoption of a federal test procedure for TVs would create confusion, add to U.S. firms’ testing burdens, undermine the international and U.S. consensus standards process, undermine international harmonization, and create economic diseconomies with most of the rest of the world, which relies on the international standards.
  • April 8, 2013 - CEA submitted comments to the Department of Energy opposing the adoption of a federal test procedure and federal energy standards for set-top boxes. CEA argued that the rulemaking is totally unnecessary in light of the existing industry test procedure, CEA-2043. CEA also argued that DOE’s development of a test procedure undermines the private sector’s role in developing industry standards and that DOE’s pursuit of energy use limits undermines the Voluntary Agreement for set-top boxes adopted by all the major multichannel video providers and set-top box manufacturers in December 2012.
  • February 7, 2013 CEA Press Release: CEA APPLAUDS ALLIANCE COMMISSION'S FOCUS ON ENERGY PRODUCTIVITY, REGULATORY REFORM AND VOLUNTARY APPROACHES
     
  • January 23, 2013 - The U.S. Department of Energy issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish a test procedure for measuring power consumption in set-top boxes. The deadline for public comments is April 8th. as part of this rulemaking, DOE has scheduled a public meeting February 27 in Washington DC.
     
  • January 17, 2013 - Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy announced its intention to create an "Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee (ASRAC)". On January 17, DOE issued a notice confirming the establishment of the ASRAC and the initial public meeting of the committee on February 26 in Washington DC. According to its charter, the committee will provide advice and recommendations to DOE regarding energy efficiency standards, test procedures, certification and enforcement, and product labeling.
     
  • December 6, 2012 - Fifteen industry leading multichannel video providers and device manufacturers that deliver service to more than 90 million households, are launching an unprecedented Set-Top Box Energy Service Agreement that will result in annual residential electricity savings of $1.5 billion or more as the commitment is fully realized, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) announced on December 6. "Our industry today commits to a comprehensive initiative that will lead the way to energy savings for consumers in this popular and rapidly evolving product category" said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. "The Set-Top Box Energy Conservation Agreement will protect innovation and consumer choice while reducing energy use and saving money".

THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM

CEA has long supported ENERGY STAR as the most effective and proactive program to encourage consumers to make more energy-conscious choices. Home electronics were responsible for 59 percent of the energy savings achieved by the program for residential products in 2008, according a recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). CEA is concerned, however, that EPA’s recently-mandated changes to ENERGY STAR are creating unreasonable burdens for partners and harming international expansion of the program.