Lexmark is committed to disposing of waste generated by our facilities in a responsible manner.
The Company’s waste generation and disposal figures over the past several years are indicative of the level of progress we have made toward our waste reduction goals. In 2007, Lexmark established three long-term, waste-management goals for the corporation.
LOOKING FORWARD
Lexmark has set a goal to achieve a 30 percent increase in hardware collection and recycling by 2014 as compared to baseline year 2007. Over the past few years, taking into consideration the economic downturn and changes in our product weights, hardware collection and recycling rates have fluctuated little since 2007. New programs were implemented in 2010 that will help increase hardware collection and recycling rates in the future.
Lexmark currently offers standardized recycling programs in many countries and variable programs in other countries. We expanded the Lexmark Equipment Collection Program in 2010 and plan to further expand it in 2011.
While there is still much work to do, Lexmark has made significant progress toward achievement of these goals.
WASTE GENERATION
Lexmark generated a total of 14,807 metric tons of waste in 2010, a decrease compared to the previous year. Waste generation in 2008 and 2009 was higher than 2007 as a result of waste generated during the demolition of several buildings in Lexington, Kentucky, and the closing of a facility in Juárez, Mexico.
Hazardous waste accounts for approximately 10 percent of Lexmark’s total waste. Hazardous waste that is generated in Lexmark’s research and development and manufacturing facilities is managed by external companies that specialize in the management of hazardous waste.
WASTE RECYCLING
Disposal methods for waste are determined through the collaborative efforts of Lexmark and its waste-management partners. Working together, we have identified new opportunities for recycling waste, reducing our usage of incineration and landfill while increasing usage of waste-to-energy recovery where other recycling options are unavailable.
Since 2007, Lexmark has increased its waste recycling rate from 63 percent to 77 percent. Lexmark is well on its way to achieving its goal of 25 percent improvement in the amount of waste that our plants currently recycle from 2007 to 2011.
ELECTRONIC WASTE RECYCLING
Lexmark offers its customers environmentally sound disposal choices for disposal of their end-of-life products. Electronic waste, including printers that have reached the end of their usable life, should be recycled by specialized firms whose processes ensure any data stored on those devices will not be compromised and that are committed to recycling those devices in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
Lexmark has partnered with recyclers who offer a broad range of services and processing capabilities, have a proven record of compliance with government mandated criteria for recycling facilities, and are certified in the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard. Our recycling partners are audited regularly to ensure that they continue to maintain the high level of service and regulatory compliance that we expect of our recycling partners.
Lexmark’s primary recycling partner, Sims Recycling Solutions, is the world's largest electronics recycler. Sims Recycling processed nearly 4,000 metric tons of electronic waste on behalf of Lexmark in the United States, Canada and Europe in 2010.
U.S.
In the U.S., we offer the Lexmark Equipment Collection Program. Customers can return their Lexmark-branded hardware products to Lexmark by whatever shipping method is most convenient for them and we will recycle the equipment for free. For business customers that are in the process of installing a large fleet of new Lexmark products, Lexmark develops customized collection strategies. We work in partnership with certified electronics disposal agencies to collect the customer’s used devices, mark them for recycling and arrange for them to be sent to the nearest recycling facility.
Over the past three years, electronic waste legislation of one form or another has been proposed in a majority of states in the U.S. By the end of 2010, 11 states – Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin – enacted extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation that includes printers. While the details of the legislation vary greatly from state to state, the basic premise is that the producers of electronic devices are required to collect and responsibly recycle covered electronic devices (CEDs) at the end of the devices’ usable lives.
Lexmark is a member of Electronic Product Stewardship Canada (EPSC), an organization dedicated to promoting and implementing sustainable solutions for end-of-life electronics. The Company participates in a number of government sponsored and industry supported recycling programs in Canada, that vary by province. Some provinces require electric manufacturers to pay a fee that is used to recycle electronic equipment in those respective provinces.
Alberta: Lexmark participates in the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) program. This state run program has been in place since October 2004 and offers 260 collection sites for businesses and consumers.
Saskatchewan: Lexmark participates in the Saskatchewan Waste Electronic Equipment Program (SWEEP) that launched in February 2007. SWEEP is the first industry led stewardship program in Canada and it offers over 70 recycling depot locations.
British Columbia: Lexmark participates in the Electronic Stewardship Authority British Columbia (ESABC) recycling program, an industry led initiative begun in July 2010.
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island: Lexmark participates in the Atlantic Canada Electronic Stewardship (ACES) program. This program was begun in Novia Scotia in February 2008 and Prince Edward Island in July 2010.
Ontario: Lexmark participates in the Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) program which was started April 2010.
Recycling regulations are anticipated in Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Yukon in 2011-2012.
Europe
In many parts of Europe, our equipment take-back strategy is implemented through country-specific programs that are operated in accordance with the European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive (2002/96/EC). Consumers in the European Union can take their equipment to locally authorized collection centers or, in some cases, to local retailers. For business customers in the European Union, Lexmark has established a fully compliant logistics system for transporting used products to the nearest storage and sorting facility, where the equipment is properly processed for recycling.
Asia Pacific and Latin America (AP/LA)
A primary focus for Asia Pacific environmental work in 2010 has been preparation for the Australian national end-of-life Information Technology (IT) equipment and recycling program. This was formally announced by the Australian Federal government in November 2009 and had been anticipated for some time.
Lexmark has been an active participant in this process for six years. The announcement indicated national legislation would come into place in 2010 and the scheme formally commences in 2011. The scheme will be Australia-wide and underpinned by government regulation.
All IT manufacturers and importers will be responsible for their shares of actual waste collected. Customers will return their end-of-life IT equipment to designated collection points from which the waste will be taken to central consolidation and collection points for recycling by accredited recycling operators.
The pilot for this national plan has been the ‘Byteback’ program operated in the state of Victoria. Lexmark was a founding member of this operation which is a free (to the consumer) IT equipment take-back program. There are nine other founding IT industry members. Byteback has been in operation since 2007 and is collecting some 10,000 items per month. It has proven invaluable in collecting data on IT hardware recycling, understanding consumer behavior and has received very strong community support. Lexmark will continue its pioneering work in this area by actively contributing to the IT industry working groups now preparing for the forthcoming national legislation and the resulting commencement of the national take-back plan.
