The CE industry made great progress on the green front in 2010. Green technology is more sophisticated and practical, and green initiatives have transformed from gimmicky fringe products to important corporate strategies for the biggest global manufacturers.
Even Greenpeace, which publishes a famously critical report on the electronics industry every January, had good things to say about the progress this year.
Every major manufacturer devoted booth space to green goals and products. The Sustainable Planet TechZone featured the usual range of small companies showing solar panels and chargers and “vampire energy”-preventing power strips.
Some other key developments at CES 2011:
— Improved battery life: Mobile devices are boasting significantly longer battery life, thanks largely to the improved efficiencies of chips like NVIDIA’s Tegra2, Intel’s “Sandy Bridge,” and AMD’s Fusion.
— LED lights the way: LED continues to allow for brighter displays with lower wattage. A few months ago, Philips claimed they had a 42-inch LED display using only 40 watts in a special “eco” mode. On the floor, Westinghouse was showing the 46-inch LD-4655 with LED backlighting using 80 watts in regular mode. Dozens of companies also showcased LED light bulbs for consumer and industrial markets.
— Automotive: Ford announced its first all-electric car, the Focus Electric, and Audi showcased its E-Tron series of hybrid cars.
— Home energy management: Home energy monitors (both devices and apps) abounded at CES. Critics note that greater efforts are needed to enable these “smart” monitors to manage appliances from different manufacturers.
— Energy Star ratings: Despite more stringent regulations in the voluntary Energy Star 3.0 and 4.0 specs that became effective in 2010, there were more Energy Star-rated products at CES than ever before.
Greenpeace and other environmental watchdogs still urge continued collaboration toward solutions in materials sourcing and product lifecycle.
Panasonic leads the way in electronics recycling, having opened 800 US collection sites since 2006, with plans to double that by 2013. The company is a founding member of MRM, the Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, which includes Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, Toshiba, and Vizio. They’re hoping to persuade LG, Sony, Samsung, and other giants to jump on board and make e-waste management financially viable for all.
“The value of the materials does not yet cover the cost to recycle them,” said David Thompson, director of Panasonic’s Corporate Environmental Department. “We need to offer real consumer convenience in order to achieve economies of scale to make electronics recycling work.”
