M. Trebilcock Jr., D. Kachevas, K. Kaul
MCPC,
United States
Keywords: sustainability, e-waste, materials recycling, carbon footprint, gorillas, rare earth minerals
Summary:
Electronic waste (e-waste) is a global problem. E-waste is the name given to electronic products that are non-working, unwanted, or that have reached the end of their useful life. Laptops, televisions and smartphones are examples of electronics that eventually become e-waste. According to a UN report, less than 20% of e-waste is recycled, with 80% either ending up in a landfill or being “informally recycled,” much of it in developing countries. When e-waste is disposed of in landfills, it contaminates the soil and groundwater, putting agriculture at risk. The problem is growing; global e-waste production is on track to reach 120 mil. tons/year by 2050. Manage. Connect. Protect. Consult. (MCPC) is a leader in material recycling and can support the government with sustainability. This company brings simplicity to endpoint management complexity and helps organizations securely and responsibly dispose of technology to lower the total cost of technology ownership. Depending on where your assets fall in their lifecycle, MCPC can provide asset recovery services or sustainable recycling options. MCPC community building at the local level. As a partner of the Cleveland Zoo, there is a MCPC truck for recycling old electronics. This effort can be scaled at the national level where MCPC could deploy trucks at schools, zoos and parks nationally. The more drop off locations for old electronics will help reduce waste in the U.S. At an international level, MCPC has picked up attention from the prominent Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund—a strong proponent of the company—which is trying to reduce the global carbon footprint. According to Mr. Michael Trebilcock, MCPC Chairman and Founder, “Gorilla habitats…overlap regions under conflict for natural resources that are critical to the global IT supply chain.” Mr. Trebilcock further elaborates how “We firmly believe in a sustainable future for our industry and for the markets MCPC serves…so it’s important we find social and environmental investments that align to make that a reality. The gorilla represents the enormity of how conflict minerals can impact the world in which we live…” Passionate about the gorilla-human connection, Dr. Tara Stoinski, President & CEO/CSO of the Dian Fossey Fund is trying to minimize the impact of mining for rare earth minerals used in technology and sees an important role for communities like Cleveland through e-waste recycling. Lessening e-waste has both local and global impacts by keeping harmful chemicals out of landfills and decreasing the need to extract rare earth minerals from critically endangered African ecosystems. Globally, we need to develop stronger corporate sustainability goals and a reduced carbon footprint. MCPC created the Secure Asset Disposition Center in 2018 to help mitigate e-waste places. MCPC has a specialized technology asset disposition center that takes in end-of-life technology. Its commitment to sustainability saved $5M+ in resources in 2022, including: 50,560,329 kilowatt hours of energy, 31,311,709 kilograms of air emissions, 8,263,931 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions etc. MCPC is at the forefront of the technology sustainability movement both from an R&D and an application standpoint to create a more sustainable future.