TuttleJPMatrix2



**The Problem:** One major sustainability problem that originated around the 1990s is that of printers. An article in the 2009 issue of IEEE Internet Computing confirms that IT products are often not recycled – only around 15-20% are – and that printers are a part of it, explaining that most e-waste is quite difficult to recycle, and that nearly 70 percent of all hazardous waste is e-waste. There are several facets to the problem. Printers, especially low-end inkjets – the kind that tend to be given out for free with computers – tend to have rather short lifespans, due to low-quality mechanical parts, leading to more e-waste in landfills. In many cases, consumers often end up simply throwing the devices out and replacing them with the same model. More of an issue, however, is the ecosystem around printers. The idea of a paperless office has not really taken off, so people still end up printing out things just because they are more comfortable reading them from paper. One would think that computers would reduce the number of documents people print out, but the trend has actually been the opposite, as they make it easier to create documents. Another major issue with printers – in particular, ink-jets – is that of printer supplies – namely, ink or toner. Printers often come with starter cartridges that don’t last as long as full size ones. There are recycling programs for these sorts of things, but not everyone uses them, and there are still problems with toxins in ink cartridges (Steve Elliot). Also, due to the toxic materials, these sorts of programs are relatively hard to create. (HP) Worse than this, however, is what some ink-jet manufacturers do – they program printer drivers to prematurely prevent you from printing before the cartridge is actually empty. In some cases this may be to prevent damage to certain mechanisms, but it would make more sense to build a printer that lasts longer. This is more of a technical issue, but many people would also consider it an ethical issue. as customers are not getting their money’s worth. And while it isn’t completely connected, any community that is affected by logging for paper manufacturing is indirectly affected.

**Stakeholders:** There are several stakeholders in this situation. Like many e-waste situations, anyone who is living near a landfill where cartridges are dumped are at risk from the toxics in the cartridges, as well as in the plastics they’re made from. Consumers are also involved, as they are the ones having to replace ink cartridges (or entire printers) all the time. Printer manufacturers have a stake as well – if their products do not work well, word will get around, and customers may not buy them (though they’ll still likely be bundled with computers). **Potential Solutions:** Some sort of regulation to ensure printer manufacturers actually allow users to use all the ink they paid for would be helpful. However, a cultural shift in terms of how people read would work better – not printing out documents unless absolutely necessary, and using e-readers or reading documents on computers would help reduce the environmental impact. Most ebook readers are not suitable for letter-size documents; however, judging by the number of posts on MobileRead asking about ebook readers for PDFs of academic papers, etc, there’s certainly a market, and with the speed that e-ink technology is improving at, it likely won’t be long before a company produces an e-reader that is suitable for viewing full-page office documents and other files with the same clarity as paper. **Images:** http://cdn.gs.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/office-space-printer.jpg http://toner-cartridges-china.com/PIC/2011428212021734.jpg http://www.manufacturer.com/cimages/buyLeads/www.alibaba.com/0105/m/Emptied_inkjet_cartridges.jpg http://sherylschuff.com/blog/PapersPiledHigh.jpg http://www.readerbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/sony-prs-650-3.jpg http://www.sme-us.biz/File_News_Post//Lex%20out%20of%20ink.jpg **Resources:** http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2008/08/take_that_stupid_printer.html http://www.mobileread.com http://www.greenprinteronline.com/blog/?tag=sustainable-printing http://serena-mule.com/Printerandcopiersustainability.html **Papers:** 1. Full citation. Ruth, Stephen. “Green IT – More than a Three Percent Solution?”. IEEE Internet Computing. 1089-7801/09.

2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? Stephen Ruth is a professor of public policy at George Mason University, as well as the Director of the International Center for Applied Studies in Information Technology. Most of his published work is about other IT topics – e-learning, e-government, etc.

3. What is the main topic or argument of the text? Ruth’s article discusses the general situation with respect to e-waste and the environmental impact of IT infrastructure.

4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. The paper starts out by discussing the beginnings of green computing. It then discusses individual issues – starting with e-waste. Finally, it talks about how computers power usage is an issue, and how telecommuting can help.

5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? “IT infrastructure is definitely going green. … Will telecommuting make a difference or is it too difficult to manage? Will cloud computing reduce the number of large data centers? Can legislation diminish e-waste challenges?” “Used-equipment dumping is perhaps the most legislated and litigated green IT issue. Many states now regulate electronic-waste disposal, including computers, printers, video gaming systems, monitors, television sets, and so on.” “PCs on average use only about 100 watts of power, but there are well over a billion of them in the world, so the combined electrical requirement is large.”

6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. The paper discusses how important making computer equipment greener is, and how it can be solved.

7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post. “Seventy percent of all hazardous waste is ewaste, which is bulky, complicated to recycle, and sometimes contains unsafe levels of heavy metals and other dangerous chemicals.” “Used-equipment dumping is perhaps the most legislated and litigated green IT issue.” Elliot, Steve, "Environmentally Sustainable ICT: A Critical Topic for IS Research?" (2007). PACIS 2007 Proceedings. Paper 114. [] 1. Full citation. Elliot, Steve, "Environmentally Sustainable ICT: A Critical Topic for IS Research?" (2007). PACIS 2007 Proceedings. Paper 114. http://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2007/114

2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? Steve Elliot is a professor and head of the School of Business at the University of Sydney. Most of his work involves business innovation, but he has written papers on changing business strategy to cope with environmental needs. (http://sydney.edu.au/business/staff/stephene)

3. What is the main topic or argument of the text? The paper focuses on the need for research into making IT equipment and processes more sustainable; while it mostly focuses on research, it does discuss the issues that need to be researched.

4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. The paper starts out by discussing some of the environmental problems with IT. It then discusses how companies can be environmentally conscious – controlling pollution or not making it in the first place. Finally, it discusses the details of how businesses can accomplish

5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? “The quantities involved in e-waste are astonishing. It is estimated that in the U.S, during the 10-year period 1997-2007, 500 million PCs will be discarded (Hasan, 2002). Four million personal computers are abandoned annually in China.” “Greenpeace suggest immediate action to resolve the e-waste problem: stop using hazardous materials, in many cases safer alternatives exist. Manufacturers of electronic goods, who reap the benefits from selling their products, need to accept responsibility for those products for the whole of their life. That is, the customer should not bear the cost of recycling e-waste. The e-waste environmental crisis could be avoided through design of cleaner products that are easier and safer to recycle or to dispose of at the end of their life” “Small scale activities, regardless of how well they may be implemented, will not serve to address the enormity of an e-waste environmental problem where millions of computers are discarded each year.”

6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. The paper legitimizes the issues of environmental problems with IT equipment, and does mention printers, giving a good, but short discussion of the issues with toxics in printer cartridges.

7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post. 1. Full citation. Degher, Alexandra. “HP's worldwide take back and recycling programs: lessons on improving program implementation”. 2002 IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment. p224-7.
 * IT sustainability is a major issue that needs to be researched
 * <span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">Problems need to be solved on a large scale.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">Printer ink cartridges are quite toxic.

<span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? <span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">The author works at Hewlett Packard in the Supplies Recycling department. She is currently the “Worldwide Hardware LCA and EOL Program Manager at Hewlett-Packard” ([]). She has written several other papers pertaining to printer sustainability and recycling.

<span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">3. What is the main topic or argument of the text? <span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">The paper focuses on Hewlett Packard’s printer recycling and takeback program, and the issues HP faced with it.

<span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out<span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">. <span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">The paper starts out by discussing HP’s stance on environmental issues. It continues by discussing the background of the program, then finally discusses the individual programs for specific model lines and the issues they have had with them.

<span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? “Customers expect HP to offer take back and recycling programs because this is consistent with HP’s stance on environmental policies and principles.” “Though some inkjet cartridges are returned to HP for analysis to enhance research and development of new products, the majority becomes a waste, as they are no longer usable for their originally intended purpose. Waste cartridges are within the jurisdiction of both the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT). Additionally, individual states, such as California and Washington, have their own laws governing waste classification.” “IT equipment return and recycling initiatives are becoming increasingly prevalent in environmental legislation. More and more businesses and government agencies are establishing Green Procurement guidelines that require them to use recycled products and buy from companies that have take back programs for their end-of-life products.”

<span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. <span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">The paper discusses the issues that HP had with their take-back programs, especially with regards to political issues.

<span style="font-family: 'Liberation Serif','serif';">7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
 * Being able to recycle or re-use ink cartridges is something that’s more and more expected nowadays
 * Existing recycling programs could be simplified.