Electronics products giant Sony Corporation this month will launch one of industry’s most aggressive and comprehensive recycling programs this month. The program, which will allow consumers to drop-off any of Sony electronic products for recycling, will not only be good for the environment, but it will also help drive top-line benefits for Sony.

Starting next week, U.S. customers will be able to recycle all Sony products for free at 75 Waste Management Inc. recycling centers in 18 states. The number of drop-off centers is expected to top 150 by year end, with at least one location in each U.S. state.

According to a BusinessWeek article, an internal Sony study showed the company may actually make money from its recycling program. And why not? Sony’s partner, Waste Management, has already made a nice business selling materials, like copper, that it recovers from electronic waste. Under the program, Sony will get a cut of the sales of reclaimed materials. It will likely reuse a portion of the materials to offset some its own supply and product costs.

Not a bad endevour since the price of copper has tripled in the past three years, prompting supply managers to cry foul and spawning a robust black market for copper and other raw materials. And other high-tech manufacturers, particularly Hewlett-Packard, have proven how aggressive e-waste recycling programs can slash costs and sustain supply.
“We believe it can pay for itself over time,” Rick Clancy, Senior Vice President of Sony Electronics, said in the article.

Sony is so convinced of the money-making benefits of the program that it plans to open 1,000 drop-off centers in the next few years to take back electronic products not only from Sony but from competitors as well.