Abstract

Over the last few decades, Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), one of the world’s leading Information Technology (IT) companies, took various initiatives to reduce the problem of electronic waste (e-waste). It extended these initiatives to South Africa too where it was a dominant player and where there was a rapid increase in e-wastes. Notably, in 2008, it launched a pilot program in Cape Town that sought to create jobs for disadvantaged people by providing them with training and equipment to dismantle e-waste in a safe and responsible way. In 2009, it took its recycling initiatives in the country further by introducing a business-to-business recycling and take-back program.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Operations management
• Sustainable waste manage-ment system
• and E-waste Management.

Keywords

Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable waste management system, E-waste Management, sustainable, environmentally responsible, product development, operations, supply chain, electronic waste, e-waste, environmental cost, environmental pollution, training, take-back program, Recycling, business-to-business recycling, logistics, environmental standards, ISO 14001 certification, pilot project, South Africa, Africa, Hewlett-Packard, HP, Information Technology, IT, Empa, Global Digital Solidarity Fund