Best Buy Report Card

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The Talk: “We recognize that we have a responsibility to help consumers make smart decisions about the environment impact of their Best Buy purchases.  So naturally, we need to show leadership when it comes to energy efficiency and recycling of e-waste.”
Grade D
The Walk: Best Buy will pick up TVs of any brand from customers who purchase a new TV.  Outside of the areas where they are piloting an in-store takeback program or in areas where they are holding free drop-off events, if you don’t buy a new TV from Best Buy, they will not take back their Insignia or Dynex TV from you.
About JVC: While Best Buy is a retailer selling a variety of brands of TVs, Best Buy also has their own “house brands” of TVs – Insignia and Dynex.  As the brand owner of Insignia and Dynex TVs, Best Buy should be providing free, convenient and responsible recycling of those TVs.  (It would also be convenient for consumers if retailers, such as Best Buy, provided collection opportunities for a range of brands.)

 

Category Possible Points Points Earned Details
Scope of US takeback recycling program 38 12  
Offers free convenient national takeback recycling for their branded TVs for individual consumers 25 6 Variety of programs - 17% of U.S. stores have free TV takeback (SF, DC, Baltimore, MN area) , Free pickup of TV with delivery of a new TV by Best Buy or Geek Squad, 41 events in 10 states, but no national free takeback program
Offers free national takeback recycling for a larger scope of their branded products in addition to TVs 8 2 Computers, phones, cameras other electronics and peripherals are included in the pilot program in 117 stores.  In-store kiosks take cell phones and other small electronics
Offers free national takeback recycling for other customers – not just individual consumers 3 2 The pilot program and the pickup with delivery program restrict consumers to 2 items at any one time
Offers to take products from other brands for free or a nominal charge 2 2  Programs are open to all brands
Provides responsible recycling 37 1
  
Signed Manufacturers Commitment to Responsible Electronics Recycling or other public commitment to not export to developing countries/use prison labor/landfill/incinerate toxic materials* 15
0
  Has not signed
Publishes full recycling standards on company website 5 1  Vague guidelines “We aspire to hold every recycling vendor to a high standard to avoid dumping of e-waste”   This is a weak, inadequate statement, but we give 1 point for raising this issue.
Use only E-Stewards as recyclers 5 0  None published
Discloses recycling and refurbishing vendors on company website 5 0  Uses Recellular for cell phone recycling.  Recellular used to be an E-Steward, but they are no longer on the E-Steward list.
Discloses countries where final disposal/recycling of toxic materials occurs 7 0
  
Volumes and visibility 15 6  
Has ambitious collection and recycling goals expressed as a percent of sales or other measures
 2 0  
Significant volume of e-waste collected and recycled nationally and publicly reported as a percent of sales or other measure 10
 4 On its website, Best Buy says they recycled 1725 tons (or 3.45 million pounds) of ewaste in Fiscal Year 2008.  In correspondence with ETBC, Best Buy has stated they have recycled over 9400 tons.  Best Buy has told ETBC that they have collected 131 tons of Insignia and Dynex brands.
Easy to find recycling information on company website 3 2  Most recycling options easy to find except for the pilot project in 117 stores which is only in news releases on the website
Public policy
 10 3  
Statement of support and active work in support of producer takeback recycling legislation with performance goals for manufacturers at the state level 5 0 Best Buy has taken a public stand in favor of producer takeback recycling and did support the passage of the MN producer takeback recycling law which include performance goals, but there is no record of these positions on its website.  The only statement is in favor of a federal legislative solution.
Statement of support and active work on federal legislation to ban the export of toxic electronic waste to developing nations 5 3  Best Buy has a statement on its website that "the dumping of toxic electronic waste on developing nations should be prohibited."
  Total Possible
Total Earned
 
TOTAL SCORE
100
22
  D

Recycling website: http://www.bestbuy.com/recycle

*  http://www.bestbuyinc.com/assets/corporate_reponsibility/08_report/CSR_2008_Final.pdf
  http://www.bestbuyinc.com/corporate_responsibility/our_planet.htm
  http://bestbuymedia.tekgroup.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4565