What's the damage? Consumer Electronics Association quantifies eco-impact of electronics

Ever wonder JUST how much collateral damage all the electronics gadgets in your house and car and office are causing? Or thought about the internal environmental credentials for all the high-tech companies that are pushing the mantra of energy efficiency and reuse on their customers?

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has given its industry an initial environmental report card of sorts in the form of a member study fielded by Technology Forecasters. The research focused on documenting sustainability practices and policies, such as reductions in power consumption or adoption of recycling programs.

Among the high-level findings: - The top 20 companies in the consumer electronics segment have recycled approximately 600 million tons of products and technology. More than two-thirds of the responding companies have an active recycling program in place for products and components, and close to 40 percent are reusing electronics products that they make or sell. - Sales of Energy Star-rated products are increasing quickly: Big-box retailer Best Buy alone reported selling 7 million Energy Star-sanctioned products in 2007. - Among the companies that have made a commitment to reducing power, the realized reduction has been as much as 25 percent over the past three to four years.

The complete CEA report can be found at this link.