Now if you thought that the irresponsible disposal of e waste is limited to water, soil contamination leading to health hazards you could not be more wrong.
E-waste disposal issues include security of personal and corporate data, protection of environment and compliance with government regulations to ensure that old computers and computer hardware does not end up in an unauthorized landfill or is handled/ treated in an irresponsible manner by unprotected labour including child labour thereby exposing them to toxics and exposing the Corporate to consequential liability and reputational risk..
The main risks associated with disposal of e Waste are:
In case an organization disposes of the e Waste to the highest bidder without considering the reputation of the recycler/ scrap dealer, it could in long run work against the brand. If such e Waste finds its way (in most cases it may) in the illegal market and is traced back to the brand, then it could be a huge loss to the brand. Not for profits and competitors could accuse the brand of not been responsible and ethical. And in case any data from this e Waste leaks out due to irresponsibility of the recycler/ scrap dealer, then the organization may face a huge legal and brand issue.
Security
There is often a poor comprehension and appreciation amongst most people and even Corporates of the sheer quantity and nature of the information stored on electronic data storage devices. Such Information can range from the inner workings and key source of competitive advantage of a business to personal information about employees and customers. Such personal and corporate information if it gets into the wrong hands through disposal of “expired” computing hardware can result in loss of critical trade secrets, customer data besides ‘identity theft’ of customers and employees thereby compromising a corporate’s competitive edge and at times resulting in it’s exposure to liabilities arising from leakage of personal data and ‘identity theft’.
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