Apple Condemned For Consigning Toxic Computers To China

[RestoreGore]

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2418417.ece

Apple condemned for consigning toxic computers to China
By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor


Apple, the celebrated computer company, has been rated worst among major electronics firms for its environmental policies by the pressure group Greenpeace. In a new survey of 14 major companies, the manufacturer of the Mac, the Powerbook and the iPod was put bottom of the list for its policies on the elimination of toxic substances and recycling. It was an unaccustomed stain on the halo for the firm with the highest brand and repurchase loyalty of any computer manufacturer, a glittering reputation as a design leader, and a fan base as enthusiastic as any rock band's.

Greenpeace charged that Apple "scores badly on almost all criteria" in a detailed survey of its environmental attitudes and practices, ranging from timetables for phasing out hazardous chemicals to the adoption of the precautionary principle. The ranking was made in the updated version of Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics, which was published yesterday on the Greenpeace International website. When the guide was first published, last September, Apple was ranked 10th; now it is ranked 14th out of 14. In a surprise first place on the list was the Chinese PC maker Lenovo, which displaced Nokia.The Greenpeace report does not scientifically compare the environmental qualities of the products of the different companies, merely the companies' published policies.

Apple said yesterday that it disagreed both with Greenpeace's rating and the criteria the group had chosen, and gave a robust defence of its environmental position. "Apple has a strong environmental track record and has led the industry in restricting and banning toxic substances such as mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium, as well as many BFRs (brominated flame retardants)," the company said. The background to the dispute between Greenpeace and Apple is the growing concern about the phenomenon of e-waste - electrical and electronic goods which have come to the end of their lives. The production of all these devices, from computers and printers to CD players and mobile phones, is the fastest-growing sector in the manufacturing industry in the industrialised countries.

The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that between 20 and 50 million tons of them are thrown away as obsolete every year - with potentially serious risks to human health and the environment. This is because they are classed as hazardous waste for the toxic chemicals they contain, and so are expensive to recycle properly. Instead, huge amounts are shipped (especially from the US) to China and India, where they are broken up for scrap, often by children, in dumps.

snip

Greenpeace is inviting owners of Apple hardware to write to Steve Jobs, the company's founder and boss, asking him to provide "greener" products.

The green list

Greenpeace rated each company on its policies on recycling and use of toxic chemicals:

1: Lenovo 8/10

2: Nokia 7.3

3: Sony Ericsson 7.0

4: Dell 7.0

5: Samsung 7.3

6: Motorola 6.3

7: Fujitsu-Siemens 6.0

8: HP 5.6

9: Acer 5.3

10: Toshiba 4.3

11: Sony 4.0

12: LGE 3.6

13: Panasonic 3.6

14: Apple 2.7
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And Al Gore is on the board of Apple. If this is true, he needs to whip them into shape.