The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announces CES 2012 will not only be the "coolest" tradeshow but also be the greenest, with the adoption of several new sustainability practices.

For the first time this year for this year attendee badge holders will come from recycled vinyl show banners, which the CEA will collect at the end of the show to recycle even further. The CEA is also pushing for signs made from recycled materials (such as reusable cardboard) while collecting magnetic, vinyl and cardboard show signs for repurposing.

All TechZones will also use recyclable carpet, and the CEA plans to cut print production by at least 50% of where it was 5 years ago.

Taking place in Las Vegas on January 10-13, the show will host a Sustainable Planet (showcasing the latest eco-friendly products) and a GoElectricDrive TechZone (showcasing electric vehicles, energy storage devices and charging solutions).

Go Greening CES 2012

No one doubts customer returns are a big issue for both retailers and manufacturers. According to Accenture, purchase returns represent 2-3% of all CE sales in the US, or around 5-6% of manufacturer spending.

This means returns in our industry are bigger than those some other industries...

The analyst also estimates US customer CE returns will total $16.7 billion in 2011-- and only 5% of returns are due to defective products, while the remaining 95% covers either product frustration or buyer's remorse.

In other words, customers are returning perfectly good purchases at retailer and manufacturers' expense. And while the study covers only the US, we're sure the situation is at least roughly similar on our side of the pond.

Being in metrics and logistics itself, Accenture suggest the further use of metrics within the retail sphere-- keeping track of what customers are returning (and keeping!) in order to plot supply chain changes.

Other suggestions include the improvement of return/repair networks, the encouragement of customer feedback, more accurate advertising and more spending on customer service, all in order to spend less on returns.

As the gift-giving season is but a few days away, it should pay to make customers happy-- in the hopes they keep US happy in return!

Go Accenture: A "Returning Problem" Study

After the $585m government fine for price-fixing, Sharp, Samsung and other LCD makers now must pay $388 million to settle the class-action suit from end users.

The companies won’t admit to the crime, but Sharp, Samsung, Chimei Innolux, LG and four other LCD manufacturers agreed on a settlement in a price fixing case from a 2007 class action lawsuit.

That suit specifically cites LCD panels sold between 1999 and 2006: the companies were alleged to have driven the price up. For that, the group will pay a total of $388 to settle the claims, with Sharp paying out the largest single amount of $105 million – Samsung with $82.7 million, followed by Chimei Innolux with $78 million, and LG with $70 million.

The government gets their big dollar lawsuit…the end-users cash in on a class action…but the integrators and installers get…nothing!

Go Price Fixing Scandal

Christie opens a Spanish branch in Boadilla del Monte, a town just 14.5 kms outside Madrid, and right next to Ciudad de la Imagen, an office and audiovisual leisure complex which is home to many TV channels, audiovisual producers, multiplexes, postproduction companies, film schools, audiovisual industry associations and film archives.

With a total surface area of 500 sq.m, the branch hosts a showroom displaying Christie’s technologies and products, including projectors and videowalls.