Jun 26

Apple & Greenpeace

Greenpeace seems to have something against Apple, but considering that the iPhone 3G has more plastic than the previous model, ranking the Cupertino-based company pretty low in its rankings is somehow justified. I may have said this again, and I say it once more - it's not all about money, so if you can choose between a "green" product and one that may end up in a junkyard and spend a few hundred years until "fading away," try making a small effort and get the "greenie." Your grandchildren may thank you one day for this...

A Greener Apple

"For example, all new models of iMac and the MacBook Air have bromine-free casings and printed circuit board laminates as well as PVC-free internal cables. Millions of iPods now have bromine-free enclosures and printed circuit board laminates. The MacBook Air also has mercury free LCD display with arsenic-free glass. MacBook Pros come with mercury-free LED backlit displays. Apple scores poorly on most e-waste criteria, except for reporting a recycling rate in 2006 of 9.5% as a percentage of sales 7 years ago.

It does only slightly better on energy criteria, failing to score on all criteria except energy efficiency of products, where it scores top marks (doubled) for all desktops computers, portable PCs and displays complying with Energy Star 4.0 and their iPod and iPhone power adapters not only exceeding the Energy Star standard, but already meeting California’s stricter efficiency regulations that take effect 1 July 2008," says Greenpeace, so there are also good things about Apple's products and protecting the environment.

The top we're talking about, called "Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics," only has 18 positions, so Apple's 11th place is not that bad, but not too good, either. Sony and Sony Ericsson got the first positions, both with a 5.1 score, followed by Nokia(4.8), Samsung and Dell, both with a 4.5 rating, and no less than 5 companies that scored 4.3 - HP, Motorola, Acer, Panasonic, and Toshiba.

At last, I would like to ask you a simple question: did you ever think about the environment when purchasing a product, not necessary an Apple one? Tell us more than just "yes" or "no!"