SVTC’S CAMPAIGNS & PROJECTS

Electronics TakeBack Campaign (ETBC)
Take it Back, Make it Clean, Recycle Responsibly
SVTC is the founding member of the Electronics TakeBack Campaign which is a national coalition of community/advocacy groups that work with recyclers, policy makers, consumers and responsible businesses to shift  the electronics industry to take full responsibility for the life-cycle of their products. ETBC works to require manufacturers to “take back” their old and obsolete products. By doing so, companies have the financial incentive to innovate greener designs that are less toxic and easier to recycle. ETBC also promotes responsible recycling programs to ensure that e-waste is actually recycled and not harming people or the environment. Go to the Electronics TakeBack Campaign website.  


Toxic Free UC
Harnessing Student Purchasing Power to Demand Greener Electronics
High-tech companies say that customer demand is the most compelling driver for them to make changes in their products. The University of California buys 10,000 computers per month with students buying millions more. SVTC is organizing UC students to create green purchasing policies for its 10 campuses and a uniform program for responsible electronics recycling. By harnessing their purchasing power and choosing only electronics companies that are innovating greener electronics that are less toxic and easily recycled, UC students create the market incentive for high-tech companies to ensure their products do not harm people’s health or our environment.  Learn more about Toxic Free UC.

Toxic Prison Recycling and Captive Labor
Exposing the Federal Prison Industries' Dirty Recycling Secrets
Everyday, thousands of tons of e-waste are sent to U.S. prisons where inmates "recycle it." The toxic truth is that they smash apart computer monitors without adequate protection from the glass or a respirator to keep the toxic dust from their lungs. For the first time, prison inmates and staff are coming forward to speak about deplorable health and safety conditions within electronics recycling factories run by UNICOR, also known as Federal Prison Industries. SVTC has released a shocking report and continues to work to keep e-waste out of the prison system and into the hands of responsible recyclers. Learn more.


International Campaign for Responsible Technology
Connecting Activists and Organizations Globally
Analogous to the global expansion of the high-tech industry, ICRT began in the Silicon Valley and then linked with other regions of the world suffering the environmental consequences of high-tech development. By connecting organizations, workers, academics and activists who are confronting these impacts globally, we have established an international exchange and support network to hold the industry and governments accountable to their host communities. Together, we use best practices to improve health and safety and reduce environmental impacts.  Learn more


Global Activism Stories
Faces of Community Struggle to Hold the Electronics Industry Accountable
Stories have arisen from the far corners of the globe about the economic and environmental injustices caused by the high-tech industry. They come from Silicon Glenn in Scotland, Silicon Plateau in India, Silicon Island in Taiwan and Silicon Paddy in China, as well as many countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America. And they are still being written in Silicon Valley, the epicenter of the high-tech industry. Read stories about people who are standing up for labor and environmental justice around the world.