On Monday morning this week Greenpeace activists knocked on the door of the Ministry of Information Technology in New Delhi and presented them with a giant artwork of the globe in the clutches of hazardous electronic waste. This was to serve as a reminder of the enormity of the e-waste challenge.
It is estimated that the amount of e-waste generated in India will increase to 16,000,000 tonnes per annum by 2012. Due to the presence of harmful chemicals in computers and electronic products, this growth is confronting India with an environmental and public health nightmare.
Greenpeace claims to have discovered scientific evidence of widespread worker and community exposure to toxic chemicals from e-waste.
Greenpeace feel that if Indian industry wants to be globally competitive it must phase out the use of hazardous substances through RoHS like rules. If not, the Indian IT industry will lag far behind the rest of the world, and the likes of China will continue to outperform them.
An Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach is recommended where the brand owner is held responsible for the entire life cycle of their products while fostering the ability of Indian IT industries to compete globally.
Directive Decoder
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