The CSR Newsletters are a freely-available resource generated as a dynamic complement to the textbook, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation.

To sign-up to receive the CSR Newsletters regularly during the fall and spring academic semesters, e-mail author David Chandler at david.chandler@ucdenver.edu.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Strategic CSR - Dell

The article in the url link below reports another environmental proposal recently announced by Dell (Issues: Environmental Sustainability, p171). This article is interesting, however, not because of Dell’s announcement, but because of the FT’s dismissal of it:

“Dell is rather late among technology companies to jump aboard the environmental bandwagon and its focus on CO2 emissions raises questions about whether the sector is on the right path.”

Making computers more efficient, the article argues, leads to greater carbon emissions, not less:

“… according to Eric Williams, professor at the Arizona State University, only 20 per cent of the total energy consumption of a PC comes from using it.”

Extending the life cycles of electronic products and working out how to re-cycle components are much more environmentally-friendly goals:

“Some 160m computers and 550m mobile phones are expected to reach the end of their life this year and many will end up in dumps.”

Take care
Dave

Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
http://www.sagepub.com/Werther

Computer makers miss the big green picture.
By KEVIN ALLISON and MAIJA PALMER
641 words
7 June 2007
Financial Times
London Ed2
Page 28
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/10c521be-1494-11dc-88cb-000b5df10621.html