Toshiba Report Card

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The Talk: Toshiba’s TV company let’s the recycling partner MRM (see below) do the talking about recycling.
Grade D
The Walk: Toshiba (along with Panasonic and Sharp) owns a recycling company called MRM, which was launched in Minnesota to comply with that state program, then broadened to TX to comply with the Texas program for computers (not TVs). In October, MRM announced the addition of 8 more states beginning November 1.
About Toshiba: Toshiba America Consumer Products (TACP) is the Toshiba company that makes TVs. (A separate company makes laptops and IT products.)

 

Category Possible Points Points Earned Details
Scope of US takeback recycling program 38 11  
Offers free convenient national takeback recycling for their branded TVs for individual consumers 25 5 Toshiba has announced that it has launched a national takeback program under its MRM recycling company, but actually, the program only operates in 10 states. MRM says it will take them 3 years to reach all 50 states, so they get only partial credit. Most of the sites are in states with laws that require takeback – including 69 sites in Minnesota, whose program is in effect, 15 sites in Connecticut, and 35 in Oregon – both states whose programs start in January.  That means that MRM’s announcement of a “national program” consists of only 11 new regular collection sites (plus some events).  
Sites in additional states as of Nov 1:
CA 2
CT  15  (Takeback required as of Jan 09)
MN 69 (Takeback law in effect)
NH  3
NJ 1 (only for events)
NY 2
OR 35 (Takeback required as of Jan 09)
PA 3 collection sites, 5 event locations
TX 2 (Takeback law in effect for monitors)
WI  1

Offers free national takeback recycling for a larger scope of their branded products in addition to TVs 8 6 Offers free national takeback recycling for a larger scope of their branded products in addition to TVs
Offers free national takeback recycling for other customers – not just individual consumers 3 0  No mention of allowing other customers to use these collection sites.
Offers to take products from other brands for free or a nominal charge 2 0  The website makes no mention of taking back any other manufacturer products.
Provides responsible recycling 37 8  
Signed Manufacturers Commitment to Responsible Electronics Recycling 15 0  No
Other public commitment to not export to developing countries/use prison labor/landfill/incinerate toxic materials* 5 2 The MRM website says they prohibit use of prison labor, which gets one point. It also says, “We will not allow the export of whole products for recycling” which gets one point, but that statement is a far cry from the kind of clear ban on exporting toxics to developing nations.
Publishes full recycling standards on company website 5 0  No standards posted
Use only E-Stewards as recyclers 5 1  One partner is in the e-Steward process
Discloses recycling and refurbishing vendors on company website 5 5 MRM says they work with only 2 companies, CRT Processing, and Eco International. 
Discloses countries where final disposal/recycling of toxic materials occurs 7 0 Discloses recycling and refurbishing vendors on company website
Volumes and visibility 15 2  
Has ambitious collection and recycling goals expressed as a percent of sales or other measures
 2 0  No stated goals.
Significant volume of e-waste collected and recycled nationally and publicly reported as a percent of sales or other measure 10
 1 Toshiba’s sustainability report says that globally, they recycled 17,600 tons of materials from TVs. But there is no reporting on collection of TVs in the US. 
On the MRM website, it states that, “During its first year of operation in Minnesota, MRM has collected and processed 11 million pounds of end-of-life electronics products, making it the largest program in the state.”  But MRM collected e-waste on behalf of many other companies in MN, so this isn’t all Sharp, Panasonic, and Toshiba e-waste, so this is misleading.
Easy to find recycling information on company website 3 1  Most consumers will start with the main Toshiba page (after googling “Toshiba”) not knowing that there is a separate website for Toshiba’s TV division. There is a clear link from the home page to a recycling section – but its’ the recycling section for their mail in program for laptops and other smaller Toshiba products. And there is no link or even any mention about TVs there. From the home page, if you clicked on Social Responsibility, you can still not find any
Public policy
 10 1  
Statement of support and active work in support of producer takeback recycling legislation with performance goals for manufacturers at the state level 5 1  On its Japanese website, Toshiba now states a position in support of individual producer responsibility, which is progress, because until January 2008, they had been part of the TV coalition opposing this. But there is no statement supporting legislation with performance goals.
Statement of support and active work on federal legislation to ban the export of toxic electronic waste to developing nations 5 1  None
  Total Possible
Total Earned
 
TOTAL SCORE
100
22
 D

Company Websites
For TV recycling location details http://www.mrmrecycling.com/
Toshiba’s TV company site http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/
http://www.toshiba.com/csrpub/jsp/home/Environment.jsp