Telecom Ecology Question 3

From RankaBrand

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Contents 1 Question 2 References 3 Ranking guidelines 4 Answering Guidelines

Question

Does the brand (company) report both the annual units sold and take back numbers of hardware appliances, such as mobile phones or modems?

Dutch version: Rapporteert het merk (bedrijf) zowel het jaarlijkse aantal verkochte als het aantal ingezamelde hardware apparaten, zoals mobiele telefoons en modems?

German version: Berichtet die Marke/das Unternehmen sowohl über die jährliche Anzahl verkaufter sowie zurückgenommener Hardwaregeräte (Handys, Modems etc.)?

References

This question relates partly to W4 of the Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics. A company can say that it does everything in its range to promote recycling, but the real success of these efforts can only be measured by the numbers or % of products which are recycled. When clear numbers on this factor are not provided, we can only say something about the efforts, and not about the results. When a telecom brand owns stores, it is rather simple, for example by giving discount on a new product when consumers return old products. But also brands that don't sell from physical stores can have a take back scheme, e.g. by using mail. For internet network providers, the take back is applicable to the routers and modems that are part of the package. The dimension of sales numbers has to be presented in the report. With only absolute numbers of products taken back (for example 10.000 tonnes recycled), we don't know what it means in relation to what the company has sold in a year.

Ranking guidelines

Rank 'yes'

-When the brand presents a take back of the released hardware appliances in relation to their sales numbers

Rank '?'

-When the company doesn't give information on a take back scheme.
-When the take back numbers are not presented in relation to their sales numbers.

Answering Guidelines

[Brand] does not report on either the number of units sold or taken back.
[Brand] only reports on the number of units sold and does not mention the amounts that were taken back.
[Brand] only reports on the take back numbers and does not provide the annual amount of units sold.