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AN INDUSTRY VIEWPOINT FROM WALSH WESTERN
INTERNATIONAL (WWI)
USE THE WEEE DIRECTIVE TO IMPROVE YOUR
BOTTOM LINE
INTRODUCTION:
Waste disposal and environmental management
of waste products is notably absent from most supply
chains. However, several pieces of European legislation,
including the WEEE and RoHS directives, will come
into force, in part, in mid 2004. This will have
a significant impact on the way that manufacturers
deal with end of life electronic and electrical
equipment. Just as manufacturers will become responsible
for considering the issues of environmental disposal
at the point of manufacture, so will they also need
to dispose of all end of life products that they
have manufactured. This represents a huge challenge
for manufacturers and their logistics partners alike.
Here, Phil Cocking of WWI, looks at some of the
issues involved and discusses how logistics companies
with a well thought-out reverse logistics process
can actually help the manufacturers improve their
bottom line.
WWI VIEWPOINT:
Manufacturers and logistics providers must
first know exactly how the legislation is going
to apply to them. It's worth noting that although
the manufacturer's liability can be passed on as
an obligation through the distribution channel,
liability is still held ultimately by the manufacturer.
The directive also applies to OEMs and importers,
which will seriously affect several major high street
retailers.
Logistics companies must be aware of the potential
differences between delivering new goods and collecting
returns. Unlike new items, returns will not be ready-packaged
and boxed. Data may also need erasing from machines
to a level which will ensure customer confidence.
Manufacturers will need to work with retailers and
logistics companies to organise how best these products
can be returned and recycled. This might be through
collection points, new for old schemes or drop-off
points.
Manufacturers will also want to be certain that
the product they are collecting is actually their
responsibility. This requires the logistics provider
to maintain accurate records at the initial delivery
point to track products throughout their lifecycle.
Serial number tracking will ensure that the manufacturer
can be sure which products were shipped where.
Once the goods have been collected, logistics providers
must have a clear strategy of how to deal with this
vast increase in items passing back into the supply
chain. The more cost-efficient the strategy, the
less likely the manufacturer is pass the extra on
to the consumer. A percentage of the machines returned
will still have intrinsic value which can be collected
through clever re-use and remarketing, others can
be broken down and recycled.
The logistics companies that will win in the race
to be green are those that can put in place an efficient
way of dealing with these products that actually
makes money, or at least pays for itself. Unless
they put these systems in place and test them now,
many will be caught completely unprepared when the
legislation is enforced. Given increasing demands
for green services from consumers and businesses,
companies that are perceived to have environmentally
sound processes can reap huge benefits. Without
this foresight, many companies are actually missing
out on a massive opportunity.
The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland
and has operations throughout Europe. For further
information on the company please visit www.walshwestern.com.
For further information, contact:
Laura Seago / Ali Lubbock, Berkeley PR
Tel: +44 (0)118 988 2992
Fax: +44 (0)118 988 6911
e-mail: laura.seago@berkeleypr.co.uk
ali.lubbock@berkeleypr.co.uk
WWW: http://www.berkeleypr.co.uk
