In the past, I have suggested following the money in the display industry. Today, I will be looking at a different type of green: Environmentally friendly corporate practices of the big consumer electronics companies.

Matt Brennesholtz
Insight Media Analyst

This column was inspired in part by a report in the New York Times on April 12th on LG and its green-related problems. LG has decided to solve these problems by throwing the other type of green at them–a total of $18B. This flood of green will be used to design energy efficient consumer products including televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators, and other products. According to the Times, this flood was sparked when the US Department of Energy stripped the Energy-Star label off of a LG-made refrigerator which, according to the DoE, consumed more than twice as much power as the label indicated.

How are other large consumer electronics companies doing? Sometimes in terms of "Green" it is hard to tell how they are doing, but perhaps a sampling of corporate press releases will give an indication of how they are saying they are doing.

Sony Electronics announced on April 22 the U.S. Green Building Council Institute had given the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification the Sony headquarters building in San Diego. The LEED award includes more than building energy efficiency. For example, there are 80 bicycle racks, 140 spaces reserved for vehicles opting to carpool, and 76 set aside for fuel-efficient vehicles. In addition, the building meets LEED open space requirements, green construction requirements, has water-conserving fixtures, has solar panels and, of course, energy efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning.

Insight Media could not find any recent "Green" press releases from Samsung, but like all consumer electronics companies, they do have a large section on their website dedicated to "Sustainability." Part of this is a showcase of Samsung’s eco-friendly products, including TV/video, mobile, office, home appliances and component devices. Solar charger for your cell phone or energy efficient memory anyone? On the Samsung greenhouse gas page, they confess the company’s total greenhouse gas emissions had increased but attribute it to increased sales. When normalized to sales, the trend is clearly downward from 2005 - 2008, the most recent year where Samsung makes the data available.

Royal Philips Electronics, in a press release dated April 12th, announced it was broadening its portfolio of LED lighting solutions for consumers and professionals. One product mentioned specifically was a 12W LED producing 806 lumens that can replace a 60W incandescent bulb. "Philips recognizes and understands the fundamental changes taking place in the world today," says Rudy Provoost, CEO of Philips Lighting and a member of the board of management of Royal Philips Electronics. "Lifestyles are changing, urbanization is presenting new challenges for city leaders, and society in general is more environmentally aware. We are applying the functional and creative potential of LED lighting to address these trends, and to simply enhance life with light."

In an announcement dated April 27th, Dell said volunteers in Washington DC from Dell and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had teamed up to collect 15 tons of used computers and accessories on Earth Day, April 24th. These electronics would then be recycled responsibly. Dell added that in 2009 they had become the first major computer manufacturer to ban the export of non-working electronics to developing countries as part of their global electronics disposal policy. Dell is also a partner with Goodwill Industries in a free computer recycling program: just drop your computer off at a participating Goodwill location.

Jim Gibbons, president and CEO for Goodwill Industries International said, "The Dell-Reconnect partnership with Goodwill is a great model for the technology industry. The partnership has not only allowed us to responsibly recycle and divert more than 50 million pounds of electronic equipment from the landfills, but also create green-collar jobs and skills training at a time when both are very much needed."

Enough for today. I checked 4 corporate websites and found 4 significant items of corporate environmental responsibility. The fact that in most cases the responsibility also makes good business sense (the other kind of green) would indicate to me that this is more than fad. Perhaps we can follow the money to a more sustainable environment.