Electronic waste accounts for 70% of our total toxic waste production. As a global organization that relies on various electronics products to help our teams achieve their goals in the workplace, we understand how these products can contribute to our individual and collective carbon footprint. To prove the combined power of our people and organization in continuing to drive a positive change towards our sustainability goals, HARMAN once again organized an electronic (e-waste) recycling drive last month in line with our Earth Day and Earth Month celebrations.
As members of the HARMAN family transitioned back to their offices and celebrated Earth Day and Month at HARMAN sites around the world, we encouraged our team members to participate in an e-waste recycling drive to reduce the amount of waste headed to landfills and prevent the environmental pollution caused by the toxins from the breakdown of electronics.
To help all our global sites and site leaders in conducting a successful recycling drive, our corporate teams provided detailed communications, promotional materials, digital signage assets and operational support information. Employees were asked to bring in three items of e-waste -- ranging from TVs and cellphones to stereo equipment and microwave ovens -- to be recycled. HARMAN family members around the world, from Novi, Mich., to Japan, France, Germany and more, banded together for the good of our planet.
With the hard work and dedication to sustainability that runs through the heart of every HARMAN employee, we’re proud to announce that this year’s e-waste collection resulted in over 3,500 units (and over 1.5 tons) of electronics items escaping landfills. Computer mouse equipment were by far the most recycled item, with more than 350 units recycled across sites. Desktop keyboards came in next with 198 units recycled and LAN/DATA cables were the third-most recycled item, with 106 units brought in by HARMAN employees. We would like to thank our offices and teams globally, who actively participated in this initiative and rallied together in their commitment to helping us be a more sustainable organization.
HARMAN began the tradition of the Earth Monday E-waste Drive in 2019 and it has only continued to grow since its inception. Now one of the main pillars of our organization, sustainability is guiding every aspect of our passion for innovation at HARMAN, from creating products made from sustainable materials to installing solar panels at our sites and cutting down on packaging waste. Encouraging our employees to recycle their e-waste is just one of the ways how we’re reducing our carbon footprint and we look forward to continuing our efforts in prioritizing sustainability across the organization.