Corporate Responsibility for an Environmentally Sound Future
Companies should stand for principles to protect the environment and the next generation. Here are some ways to do it.
Manufacturing, packaging, distribution, marketing – these are sectors or functions of business in the global economy that play a big role in how the modern world works today. Most companies get caught with the bottom line and earn profits that they forget about their businesses’ harmful effects on the environment.
As everything today is part of a seemingly global conglomerate, it is now more than ever more critical for companies to pay attention to their effects on the environment. Otherwise, there might not be any healthy consumers left in the future to patronize our products.
Current State of Industrial Waste
The global population continues to grow, and with it comes demands—consumer demands. Companies are forced to meet these demands, and sometimes environmental concerns are overlooked just to meet these quotas.
Based on the Industrial Waste Management market, the industry of waste management is geared to US$1.2 trillion by the year 2025. We can use it as an index of the current state of how much waste we produce as a civilization. Although that industry is enjoying growth and wealth, it says a lot about how much industrial waste we humans produce.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018, 292.4 million tons of solid waste were collected. That’s almost five pounds of trash per person every day. Among those collected, 32% percent was recycled and was composted.
Electronic Waste
Electronic waste is any electronic equipment that’s been discarded. This could include non-working, working, or broken items that are disposed of as trash. People should pay attention to electronic waste because of its potentially dangerous toxic chemicals that could leak from the metals, their casing, and other components if improperly disposed of.
Batteries make up a big chunk of electronic waste. In recent years, batteries have been piling up as electronic waste. This is due to portable technologies like our cell phones and other small devices in our pockets and go-bags.
These are the battery types commonly discarded as electronic waste:
- Lead-acid
- Nickel-cadmium
- Lithium-ion batteries
The demand for lithium-ion or li-ion batteries is rapidly increasing compared to other types of batteries in the market today. The steadily decreasing costs of producing and purchasing li-ion batteries combined with continued advances with its power capabilities make the Li-ion battery an ideal power source for modern devices. It is utilized for consumer electronics, automotive, medical, and some industrial applications. The industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16.2%. It is forecast that between 2018 to 2024, li-ion profits are estimated to reach US $92 billion from the US $37.4 billion in 2018, a CAGR growth of 16.2%.
Unfortunately, the number of sales dwarfs the number of Li-ion batteries that get recycled. Of all the batteries that are sold in the market, only 5% get recycled. The low recycling rate of li-ion batteries might be because of its perceived complexity. Recycling lithium might prevent future shortages and help meet demand.
What We All Should Do
As technologies get better and better, gadgets and devices become a part of everyday life. Their power sources (li-ion batteries) will become more commonplace, and solutions to properly dispose of them will prove to be of the utmost importance.
Improper disposal of batteries will affect all of us. The sooner we band together and find solutions, the sooner we can guarantee a future for our children and our children’s children.
The irreversible technology trend, the innovations that spring out of this faster than we can even make modern life convenient and easier. However, it also comes with the realization that these produce more waste, especially electronic waste. More than ever, companies must demonstrate a commitment to provide sustainable products that are morally sound for consumers and the environment. This also means pouring more resources into developing more innovative ways to manufacture innovative products.
Bidi Vapor’s Commitment and Corporate Responsibility
Bidi Vapor has poured more resources into its research and development in the vaping industry to demonstrate its commitment and vision to provide premium quality products. As proof, Bidi Vapor and its premium product, the BIDI® Stick, was recently awarded the UL8139 certification.
This certification by an independent body affirms the safety and dependability of the device’s batteries. The BIDI® Stick passed all electrical, heating, battery, and charging systems tests. This is a testament to Bidi Vapor’s commitment to providing quality products for adult consumers.
Bidi Vapor is also one of the few companies with a recycling program where consumers can send in their used BIDI® Sticks for proper disposal and recycling. The BIDI® Stick utilizes high-quality, cell phone-grade, 280mAh batteries of superior quality and easily recyclable.
To learn more about the BIDI® Cares program, please visit our website.
