Take Back My TV

Tell TV Manufacturers: Take Back My TV

Step 1: Address Information

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Recipient*
Funai Corp. Brands: Emerson, Funai, Sylvania, Symphony Akira Hayashi, Vice President
Hitachi America Brands: Hitachi Masahide Tanigaki, President & CEO
JVC Company of America Brands: JVC Craig Geiger, Executive VP & COO
Philips Electronics North America Corp. Brands: Philips, Magnavox Paul Zeven, CEO
Sanyo Brands: Sanyo, Fisher Masami Murata, President
TCL Thomson Electronics Brands: TCL, Thomson, GE, RCA Greg Bolser, Executive VP

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Step 2: Compose Letter

TVs are often the center of American households -- but on the other side of the world, they're creating an environmental and health crisis that can't be ignored any longer. Tell TV manufacturers to recycle their old products.

Subject*

Talking Points
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More than 50 million TVs will be purchased worldwide this year.
Old TVs often end up being dumped in Asia or Africa, where workers strip out useful material and then burn the rest, emitting deadly dioxin and furans.
TVs contain dangerous chemicals like lead and mercury that contaminate food and water supplies.
Just 12 percent of electronic waste is recycled in the United States.
Most other developed nations require electronics manufacturers to collect and recycle their old products, but the United States does not.
Sony recently became the first TV manufacturer to commit to a recycling program, proving that it is feasible for manufacturers to take back old TVs.

Message*

This year, 50 million new TVs will be purchased around the world. That's great news for your company -- but that could be bad news for the environment.

Electronic waste -- including old TVs made by your company -- pose serious risks to the environment and to communities around the world. In many developing countries, villages are marred by huge dumpsites containing discarded electronics. Workers take apart these products with little protective equipment to strip out reusable components and then burn the waste piles to make room for the next load. Dangerous chemicals like lead and mercury go up in smoke and also seep out of these dumpsites, contaminating the local air, food and water supplies.

These practices must end -- and you are in a position to stop them.

I strongly urge your company to enact a safe take-back and recycling program for your old products in the United States. You have a responsibility to make sure that used electronics made by your company are disposed of safely. Please live up to that responsibility and signal your company's commitment to being a good steward of the environment.

Sony USA recently launched the first television company take-back program in the U.S.  Sony is offering to safely recycle any of its used products for free. This effort shows that such a recycling program is indeed feasible -- and Sony has received much praise for its environmental concern.

I am sure many consumers feel much better buying products from environmentally responsible companies like Sony. I hope your company will follow suit.

Thank you.

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Tell TV Manufacturers: Take Back My TV

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