Product recycling program

Recovery and Recycling Trends
During calendar year 2011, Lenovo financed or managed the processing of more than 12,700 metric tons (more than 28 million pounds) of customer returned computer equipment .  This performance represents a 32.7% increase over the previous calendar year and continues to grow annually as Lenovo's product take back and WEEE programs mature for both business and consumer customers. Of this total, 3.05 % was reused as products or parts, 88.46% was recycled as materials, 6.37% incinerated with waste to energy recovery, 0.64% incinerated as a disposal treatment, and only 1.48% disposed by landfill.  As part of  Lenovo’s continuous improvement activities, Lenovo organizations and suppliers continue to identify opportunities to maximize reuse and reduce the use of incineration and landfill for these returned products.

The total weight of customer equipment (all brands) returned through these programs in 2011 was 5.8% of the total weight of Lenovo computer products put on the market in calendar year 2007. This ratio was 5.3% when including only the weight of equipment reused or recycled.  Many Lenovo branded computer products put on the market in 2007 are probably still in use.

In summary, since May of 2005, Lenovo has processed more than 46,000 metric tons (more than 100 million pounds) of customer returned equipment through Lenovo contracted and audited suppliers (see chart below).  In addition to these quantities, Lenovo's internal manufacturing operations and R&D offices have processed an additional 50,000 metric tons (more than 111 million pounds) of Lenovo owned computer equipment during this same time period.

Note: Lenovo become a global company in May of 2005 with the purchase of the former IBM PC Division. Since 2005, Lenovo has been selectively rolling out consumer targeted PCs in specific markets and many Lenovo branded products are still being used by initial or secondary owners. Therefore, very few Lenovo branded products have yet to enter into Lenovo’s voluntary and legal WEEE  and product take back programs or  the electronic waste streams in general.

Lenovo's Approved Suppliers
The Lenovo supplier facilities and processes provide brokering, refurbishing, reselling, dismantling, recycling, and disposal services  must meet rigorous audit and qualification requirements prior to use by Lenovo regardless of their geographic location. These requirements include the supplier's completion of self declaration of capabilities, controls, and compliance and downstream supplier forms, the successful completion of a Lenovo on-site audit of each supplier facility, processes, and management systems, review of audit findings and documentation and approval process, and establishment of a Lenovo contract with appropriate environmental terms and conditions. A listing of Lenovo audited and approved supplier facilities by geography, activity and audit date is maintained in a corporate database with access by all Lenovo sites and organizations for selecting suppliers. Supplier facility qualifications include compliant processing capabilities, high reuse and recycling efficiencies, acceptable environmental, health, and safety management systems, full disclosure of downstream supplier facilities and compliance, acceptable controls to ensure no exporting of hazardous waste to non-OECD countries, no use of prison labor, and only reselling verifiable functional products and parts for reuse as originally intended without further refurbishment.

Third Party Certifications
Lenovo strongly encourages all recyclers, dismantlers, resellers, refurbishers, brokers, and disposal suppliers to achieve accredited third party certifications to ISO 14001, ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001, and recycling standards such as Responsible Recycling (R2), and e-Stewards. Most of Lenovo supplier facilities worldwide providing legal or voluntary product take back services have achieved certifications to ISO 14001 and a growing number, especially in the United States, have achieved certifications to R2 or e-Steward.  Lenovo’s own audit program, completion of which is a requirement for doing business with Lenovo, includes elements of these third party standards as well as numerous additional criteria in areas including environmental, health, safety, business controls, security, etc.

Closed Loop Recycling
Functional products and parts are recovered from Lenovo's Asset Recovery Services programs which are used as originally intended without further refurbishment. Over eighty percent of all Lenovo supplier processed end of life computer equipment worldwide is recovered materials (e.g., precious metals, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, glass) which are used to manufacture new IT or non-IT products around the world. Since May 2005, Lenovo suppliers have processed over one hundred and eighty three million pounds of Lenovo owned and customer returned equipment producing a large amount of reusable materials.

Lenovo is especially proud to have participated in these closed loop activities by connecting Lenovo's Category 3 Suppliers with recovered plastics with Lenovo's recycled plastic manufacturers for reuse in the manufacture of new Lenovo and non-Lenovo products. Lenovo has used over 21 million pounds (net) of post-consumer recycled plastic from both end of life IT and non-IT sources in the manufacture of new Lenovo products since early 2007.

Lenovo offers Asset Recovery Service (ARS) to business customers to help manage their end-of-life technology equipment by providing PC take-back, data destruction, refurbishment and recycling. Lenovo also offers additional services including inventory, value assessment, on-site de-installation and data encryption. This service gives customers an end-to-end solution from Lenovo from the point of computer purchase to take-back and disposal. Lenovo's expertise in managing the end-of-life computers can help customers eliminate the time and expense of managing the disposal of surplus or replaced equipment themselves. Additionally upon request, Lenovo can facilitate donation of the old computers or can help customers receive cash back for them.

Businesses interested in using these services should contact their local Lenovo Sales Representative. For more information on Lenovo Asset Recovery Services (ARS) please click here.