Wipro goes 'green' with computers

Bangalore, June 14 (UNI) Wipro today said it will introduce eco-friendly laptops, desk tops and PCs strictly adhering to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) norms of the European Union by the year-end.

Talking to newsmen after the launch of a new range of environment friendly products-Wipro GreenWare, company vice president (Personal Computing Division) Ashutosh Vaidya said, ''Since there were complaints about hazards faced by chemicals used in the manufacture of our products, we have decided to go in for eco-friendly hardware products.'' ''The entire product range of desktops and laptops will be free of hazardous materials such as Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR), PVCs and heavy metals like lead, cadmium and mercury that have been regularly used in computer manufacture so far,'' he added.

He said the RoHS directive was strictly followed and two years of continuous efforts resulted in today's launch of five desk tops and three laptops.

To a question, he said following EU norms did not mean the product would be meant for the foreign markets only. It was meant for domestic market.

''Though there was no legislation in India about norms to be followed to produce eco-friendly PCs, we have adopted EU's RoHS directive which has come into effect from 2006 to contribute towards protecting environment,'' Mr Vaidya said.

Wipro had set up an e-waste management process called Wipro Green Computing, which spans across its product lifecycle-from designing, manufacturing, right upto the final disposal.

To another question, he said there would not be any increase in the prices of the newly launched eco-friendly products.

While outsourcing some of the components also, the products which comply with environment protection only would be selected.

UNI