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Marketing Begins with Customers and Ends with Customers – Is It So?
We live in the era of technologicallyadvanced educated world. Ignor-ing nature is
considered to be a sin; this knowledge on the part of the customers makes the manufactures
or the companies to think twice before they release any product into the market.
Electronic waste or e-waste is one of the rapidly growing environmental problems
of the world. In India, electronic waste management assumes greater significance
not only due to the generation of our own waste but also because of dumping of e-waste,
particularly computer waste, by the developed countries. With extensive use of computers
and electronic equipments and people dumping old electronic goods for new ones,
the amount of e-waste generated has been steadily increasing. At present, Bangalore
alone generates about 8,000 tons of computer waste annually and in the absence of
proper disposal, it finds its way to scrap dealers. It is estimated that the superseded
computers number to two millions in India. They are disposed-off by corporate organizations,
government offices, households, educational institutions, etc. It is worthy of mentioning
that the electronic scrap generated by the manufacturers and assemblers amounts
to 1,200 tons.1 The consumers find it convenient to buy a new computer rather than
upgrade the old one due to the changing configuration, technology and the attractive
offers from manufacturers. Due to the lack of governmental legislations on e-waste,
standards for disposal, proper mechanism for handling these toxic hi-tech products,
these e-wastes mostly end up in landfills or partly recycled in unhygienic conditions
and partly thrown into waste streams. The Government of India banned import of used
computers and other electronic wastes coming from developed nations. This decision
was taken by Economic Intelligence Council Meeting led by Finance Minister, Pranab
Mukerjee2 which took place after the heavy dumping done by developed countries in
the developing countries. |
