DELL BANS E-WASTE EXPORT TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Seattle
Financial Chronicle

PC maker Dell Inc on Tuesday formally banned the export of broken computers, monitors and parts to developing countries amid complaints that lax enforcement of environmental and worker-safety regulations have allowed an informal and often hazardous electronic-waste recycling industry to emerge.

Although Dell's announcement does not mark a significant change in the PC maker's behaviour, environmental groups hope that by making its standards public, Dell will raise the bar for other electronics makers.

In the absence of US regulations, those groups are banking on competitive pressure to make companies improve their e-waste practices.