Greenpeace: Sony is 'significantly greener' than Microsoft or Nintendo

Greennpeace, an environmental organization, had put together a report on how environmentally friendly a number of leading companies are. Each company is given a score out of a possible 45 points; the higher the score is, the greener the company is deemed. Included in them are the big three video game manufacturers: Sony received a 24/45, compared to Microsoft's score of 15/45 and Nintendo's abysmally low score of 4/45.

So why does Sony deserve the higher score? Speaking to Edge Online, Greenpeace's toxics campaigner Iza Kruszewska cites a number of reasons, including high marks for "chemical management and take-back initiatives." Sony is the first company to introduce a take-back recycling program for all their products in the US, according to Kruszewska.

But what about all those reports which indicate each PS3 uses as much power as a fridge? Kruszewska admits they are true, but reminds us that "there is a wider picture to look at than just the power consumption of a console." He offers this in the PS3's defense: "If you look at the graphics processor that your PS3 or 360 will have, it's hard to put them into exactly the same category [as the Wii]. I mean, the PS3 is being used by universities globally when they have lots of number crunching to do because it's that powerful. We're talking about a 9-core processor here."

Well, there you have it, environmentally-conscious boys and girls -- now you know the PS3 is Mother Earth's console of choice.