19 September 2007 - The
latest edition of our quarterly Guide to
Greener Electronics shows that major electronics
firms have made large, green strides since
the guide was first launched in August 2006.
Nokia still leads, closely followed by Sony
Ericsson, Dell and Lenovo.
The Greener Electronics Guide has been
our answer to getting the electronics industry
to face up to the problem of e-waste. We
want manufacturers to take responsibility
for the unprotected child labourers who
scavenge the mountains of cast-off gadgets
created by our gizmo-loving ways.
The guide ranks the 14 top manufacturers
of personal computers and mobile phones
according to their policies and practice
on toxic chemicals and recycling. In the
first edition of the Guide from August 2006,
the average score was 4/10. Now every company
scores above 5/10. Click on the version
numbers to see how the rankings have changed:
Race to the top
Every company ranked bottom of previous
editions have made improvements to move
up. Lenovo was bottom of the first guide
but rapidly improved its chemicals policy
and launched a global takeback program.
Apple was bottom of the next two editions
but pledged in May to improve its chemical
policy and increase its recycling rate.
Sony was bottom of the June 07 edition but
has since launched in the US the most advanced
takeback and recycling programme of any
company.
The biggest movers in the latest guide
are Sony and LG Electronics. Both have had
their penalty points lifted for leaving
a US industry coalition that lobbies against
producer responsibility for recycling discarded
products.
Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International
Toxics Campaigner, has been amazed at the
progress the Guide has helped create: "There
is still a long way to go for some, but
the momentum is extremely encouraging. What
is very exciting is that while the guide
focuses on brand leaders, the improvements
can be seen industry wide".
Even companies not featured in the ranking
have improved policies in the race to be
greener. PC maker Asus has improved it environmental
policies and an Indian edition of the ranking
has lead to improvements from the two biggest
Indian computer companies, WIPRO and HCL.
Hewlett Packard (HP) is the only company
who has fallen in each ranking - over taken
by competitors, and weakening its support
for a strong takeback policy. It also still
needs to provide concrete timelines for
the complete elimination of hazardous chemicals.
Panasonic now languishes at the bottom,
despite launching some products free from
the most hazardous chemicals; they fail
to deal with old products responsibly. Apple,
while not losing points, has dropped to
12th position. Its newly launched iPhone,
and new iMac and iPod lines, still include
the worst toxic chemicals - allowing its
competitors to race ahead.
As well as driving improvements in company
policy there are many improvements in company
practice since the first ranking. More companies
now have free take back programs making
it easier to recycle your old electronics.
More products are available without the
worst toxic chemicals like PVC (vinyl) plastic
and brominated flame retardants (BFRs).
Motorola and LG have joined Nokia and Sony
Ericsson in selling phones without these
toxic chemicals. Sony has a wide range of
products including models of the Walkman,
camcorders and a digital camera that are
partially BFR and PVC free. Panasonic lists
examples of PVC free products that include
DVD players, home cinemas, and video players.
Publicly comparing the performance of these
companies has proven a highly effective
way to bring about quick improvements in
their environmental policies. However, we
are still waiting for the companies to act
on their promises to market a computer completely
free of the worst toxic chemicals.
