D-Link is launching a recycling program for products returned under warranty. The initiative is part of the networking vendor’s broader green push.

The vendor has signed a contract with Sims E-recycling to dispose of products returned under warranty that cannot be repaired.

D-Link managing director, Domenic Torre, said that roughly $500,000, or two per cent of sales, are genuinely faulty when returned under warranty. Of this, 80 per cent of products were not worth repairing.

“Ninety-eight per cent of the products can be recycled in some manner to produce other goods, so it’s better to recycle them rather than put them into landfill,” Torre said.

Torre said D-Link was also looking at ways to recycle products in the field.

“The initiative is currently internal – we’re considering warranty drop-off centres,” he said.

Torre said D-Link was focusing its green efforts around three areas: The physical manufacture of the product, the use of the product and recovery of the product after use. Other initiatives undertaken by the vendor include recyclable packaging and shrinking the size of the packaging to reduce transport requirements.

“We’ve also been in contact with Planet Ark, which has a great concept,” Torre said.

D-Link also complies with the European Union directive for the Removal of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.

The vendor’s products conform to the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for the manufacture and supply of energy efficient external power supply units.