Environmentalist PC users in Japan who sell their old PCs back to NEC for "refreshing" can revel in the knowledge that they are now even more environmentally friendly than they thought, thanks to a new "afforestation" project NEC is running.

NEC's refreshed PC programme is currently only available in Japan. The company buys old PCs back from its customers, checks, fixes, and resells them.

The manufacturer now says it will plant one tree for every used PC it buys back from its customers for recycling between 1 April and 15 July this year. Over its lifetime, a tree will absorb 500kg of carbon, five times as much as was pumped into the air during the PCs manufacture.

The trees, either Eucalyptus or Acacia, will be planted on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

The idea that the trees will help offset environmental damage caused in manufacturing is not a new one. There are several organisations around the world that will help people to become "carbon neutral" citizens by planting enough trees to consume their annual carbon emissions. ®

Related stories

Canon loses printer recycling case
Greenpeace blockades HP with great wall of PCs
Wales to host new £1m CRT recycling plant