GuideToGreenerElectronics
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Greenpeace study gives Wipro top marks for eco-friendliness, docks Apple, Dell and Lenovo
Greenpeace often seeks to light a fire under companies it thinks are dragging their heels in clean technology, and that's more apparent than ever in its latest Guide to Greener Electronics. The frontrunner this time is chart newcomer Wipro, an Indian tech giant that scores a high 7.1 in the rankings for both green products and aggressive attempts to cut down on pollution. Most everyone else lags behind, however, and their scores only emphasize how little progress there's been. Apple (4.5) is hurt mostly by a lack of transparency; Dell (4.6) is bruised for not living up to its own promises of the past two years, and Lenovo (3.9) is chastised for the absence of clear policies. Greenpeace once more has an agenda in its report -- in this case, drawing attention to India's environmental situation -- but the high-contrast study does show that planet-friendly gadgets can be more than just dreams.
Apple jumps to 4th place in the latest Greenpeace survey
Tree-huggers who were feeling just a wee bit guilty about buying Apple products can rest easy today. Apple has jumped up to 4th place in the latest Greenpeace "Guide to Greener Electronics", up from 11th place just four short years ago. Apple is behind green electronics leader HP, Dell, and Nokia on the list, but ahead of a stack of other electronics firms. Not surprisingly, since they don't seem to be able to do anything right at this point in time, BlackBerry maker RIM is in last place on the list (Jim Dalrymple, take note). The higher score isn't making Greenpeace too happy with Apple, though -- they were given a severe spanking with the renewable green paddle for not setting a greenhouse gas emission reduction target or phasing out antimony and beryllium in manufacturing. Apple also got whacked for not excluding "suppliers that are involved in deforestation or illegal logging" when procuring paper for packaging. On the other hand, the Greenpeace report handed Apple a laurel made of granola and hemp for its global recycling program, sourcing of conflict minerals, removing PVC vinyl plastic and brominated flame retardants from products, and meeting or exceeding Energy Star requirements.
Greenpeace takes a break from issuing reports to vandalize HP corporate HQ
As readers of this site know, Greenpeace has quite an active sideline in rating (and berating) technology companies that generate excessive toxic landfill. In fact, we've seen so many of these reports that we almost forgot what the organization does best: chasing down whaling vessels, trespassing, hanging banners, and generally bedeviling polluters in the name of Mother Earth. And now, after repeatedly calling out HP for using PVC and hazardous chemicals in its devices, the group has taken matters into its own hands -- specifically, by slipping into the company's Palo Alto headquarters and painting "hazardous products" on the roof, in really big letters, with non-toxic children's paint. Congratulations to the activist group for finally finding a way to spread their message to low-flying pilots in the San Francisco Bay area! One more pic after the break.[Via Switched]
Greenpeace slams HP, Lenovo, and Dell in latest report
HP, Lenovo, and Dell haven't fared too badly in some of Greenpeace's previous e-waste reports, but it looks like three companies have fallen well short of the organization's expectations this time around, with each getting called out for failing to live up to their promises. Specifically, all three had said that they would eliminate vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in their products by the end of this year, but they've now apparently told Greenpeace that they won't be able to meet that timeline, and only Lenovo has come forward set a new deadline (the end of 2010). The big winner, on the other hand, is Philips, which has jumped from 15th place to 4th as a result of some new recycling initiatives, prompted at least in part by public pressure. And, as you can see above, Nintendo is once again dead last, although we're pretty sure that's simply a result of sheer mass at this point.
Greenpeace posts latest Guide to Greener Electronics: Sony Ericsson first, Nintendo in dead last
Greenpeace posted the latest edition of its "Guide to Greener Electronics" yesterday, which ranks the top 18 consumer electronics companies by their policies towards toxic chemicals and recycling, and it looks like the rankings have shifted slightly since last time -- Sony Ericsson and Samsung have tied for the lead with a 7.7 out of 10 rating (taking over from Nokia, which fell to number 9 with a 6.7) and Sony is sitting pretty at number 3 with a 7.2. Apple, which has taken some lumps in the past few months, is right in the middle of the pack with a 6, but most surprising is Nintendo, which came in absolutely dead last with a big ol' 0 -- looks like Mario wasted a little too much water in Sunshine, eh?
