Best Buy to hit 1 bn pounds of obsolete tech

MINNEAPOLIS, US: Best Buy Co., Inc., retailer of consumer electronics, announced the release of its fiscal 2010 Sustainability Report that details the company’s social and environmental performance in fiscal 2010, and claims that it confirms the company’s commitment to enable and empower people to live more sustainably in a connected world.

“Sustainability for Best Buy means placing a focus on the people, technology and the power needed in the connected world,” said Brian Dunn, CEO, Best Buy. “We believe that technology holds the power to make the planet more connected and, in a word, better — but only if it is created to serve people and the things they care about.”

A press release says that the results have produced notable outcomes, including:

The establishment of an ambitious e-waste target: Because consumer electronics are one of the fastest-growing waste streams, Best Buy set the ambitious goal to collect one billion pounds of old or obsolete technology over the next five years. Through its comprehensive U.S. recycling program, Best Buy provides in-store recycling kiosks, online trade-in and home pickup options for all unused electronic items. In fiscal year 2010, it helped to prevent more than 140 million pounds of appliances and electronics from ending up in landfills around the world.

It adds, "Notable reductions in energy consumption have happened. For example, Best Buy’s partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) through the ENERGY STAR program will help its customers realize utility bill savings of $91 million, and save 796 kWh of electricity, plus 1.6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide (“CO2”). Best Buy is also currently pilot-testing home energy management services that enable interaction between customers and utility companies, and allows consumers to monitor and control energy use and costs in their own homes.