Singer leads effort to collect e-waste

Saturday, 2 July 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

As one of the most environmentally conscious corporate citizens in the country, Singer Sri Lanka was amongst the first companies to partner with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) in its battle against the growth of electronic waste (or e-waste).

Since signing on for the National Corporate e-Waste Management initiative, Singer Sri Lanka was also the first to begin e-waste collections and has now collected over 60 tonnes of e-waste to date, proving its commitment to putting its eco-friendly principles into practice.

Aimed at building the infrastructure needed for the responsible management of e-waste, the initiative allows the public to dispose of their televisions, refrigerators, computers, and other electronic items in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Once collected, these items are then handed over to a recycling organisation which processes and recycles the component materials, reducing air and water pollution, as well as the consumption of new raw materials.

Singer’s responsibilities under the e-waste management initiative go beyond collecting e-waste; it also includes carrying out periodic audits to ensure effective and environmentally sustainable operations. As CEA Chairman Charitha Herath noted, “Heavy metals discharged by electronic equipment can pollute water and soil, which can cause serious illnesses.”

The awareness of this health hazard spurred the CEA to set up the National Corporate e-Waste Management initiative, bringing together a number of industry partners, including Singer Sri Lanka. As the most active industry ally, Singer has led the effort to collect e-waste. Individuals can help by handing over their home and office e-waste at any Singer Plus, Singer Mega, and Sisil World showroom island-wide.

In order to ramp up collection, the company is also planning on conducting awareness programs for consumers, schoolchildren and the general public. For example, by organising an Environment Day, Singer Sri Lanka hopes to educate the general public about the problem of electronic waste, and how they can be part of the solution. Its outreach efforts don’t end there, however.

Singer’s commitment to creating awareness of environmental issues is evident in its Singer Retail Academy Theme of the Week programme, through which the company educates its retail employees about a different topic every week. These employees can then instruct customers on a variety of environmental matters, including the proper disposal of e-waste.

Regarded as one of the most respected entities in Sri Lanka, the company has always been committed to the community. By leveraging its extensive retail network, which includes more than 360 stores islandwide, to dispose of e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner, the Singer Sri Lanka is leading by example, and fulfilling its responsibilities as one of the cornerstones of Sri Lankan society.